Seven Kingdoms Online: Seido
by daniel.ong.37
Summary: Kayaba Akihiko created a virtual world unlike anything seen before. Over 5 million players logged into the game only to find it turn into something of the stuff of nightmares. There are 7 Kingdoms that must grow, expand and rise in power against the hordes of Hell, of the Sea and of the Heavens. This is the mix of SAO and ALO without magic, this is Seven Kingdoms Online.(OP Kirito)
1. Chapter 1 - Nightmare

**Chapter 1 - Nightmare**

" _To fight in this world a player has to use Sword Skills. There is no magic and the only way to manipulate anything akin to magic is to find Relic Items or use certain Racial Martial Arts._ " _~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Combat_

The year is 2022; recently the leap and bounds of technology have led to a new style of gaming. Virtual MMORPG's; it is a gamer dream come through as they get to experience the world first hand without the use of a controller nor a console, rather one puts a helmet upon their head and jumps into a world entirely different from the world they leave behind. This phenomenon has come to be called [Diving] by the gaming community.

The first ever Virtual MMORPG game to be released into Japan was a game developed by Kayaba Akihiko, it was titled [ _Seven Kingdoms Online_ ]. Multiple interviews were made whilst it was in Alpha, with only staffs making the dive to test out the game. Then came the Close Beta, a random choice of over 10 000 players were chosen to play this game. It was unique in the sense that there was no magic whatsoever; or at least not in the common sense of magic. There were no spells to cast rather there was an unlimited number of things called [ _Sword Skills_ ]. These were pre-determined attacks by the system that required players to activate the initial motion before the skill could be completed. However as the title of the game suggested there are Seven Kingdoms in which Players could choose their race from, some races had certain [ _Sword Skills_ ] and [ _Martial Arts_ ], unarmed attacks, that seemed to glow with fire or distort with wind when used. These of course were reliant entirely on the race with some items allowing users to draw from the elements around them at certain times. These were called _Relic Items_ and were extremely hard to come across, most of the time having to kill a named mob to defeat it.

Each race in [ _Seven Kingdoms Online_ ] could be said to be based off an insect and an ancient culture. Each had distinct features in architecture, design, weapons, mobs and even their starting region. The aim of the game was to expand your Kingdom so it became the strongest in the game world. The immediate area around each Kingdom is at first called [ _Unclaimed_ ] and is [ _Claimed_ ] when players enter it. This then extends the Kingdoms boundary and eventually the idea is that Kingdoms will clash for these lands. The more land a Kingdom has the more resources it gets, the more it can churn its own economy.

The game was heavily PvE in the beginning as there are 4 distinct stages to the game. The first is when a world even happens, this is when beings called the [ _Nephilim]_ invade every single continent that host a Kingdom. There is a certain time limit to defeat them as they expand. However if their home city is not destroyed by a certain time the second stage appears. It is where [ _Atlantis_ ] rises forth from the sea and begin their invasion on the Players. Yet they would also fight the [ _Nephilim_ ] if they have not been driven away yet. If they failed to clear the [ _Atlantians_ ] within their allocated time period then [ _Aincard_ ] is the third stage where god like beings come from the sky along with their floating castle. To defeat them a player must manage to get into the castle and fight over 100 floors to reach the boss. At each stage the max level is raised and new items are introduced from these new events. The fourth stage in the Beta was the PvP stage where all other three stages are cleared and players are now competiting to gain the most land. If players failed to defeat their enemies then the server was reset and everyone goes back to level 1. However one of the major game breakers was the fact that this game would portray a person as they were in real life, meaning a male could not play as a female and a short person could not make himself or herself tall. There was also the pain factor where damage dealt in this world had relative stimulations of pain to force players to be careful.

But what really drew most players in is the capability of flight in certain Races, yet those races that are often able to fly are the ones that are relatively hard to work in sync with skills and fighting mechanics. With that knowledge a single boy placed on his Nervegear, the only hardware capable of allowing a human to [ _Dive_ ] into their virtual world. In the normal world he was the popular kid, the one that girls had crushes on; the one that had to deal with family problems that no one bothered to find out. In this new world it was where he was free from all his troubles.

"Link Start!" he activated the voice command as his world exploded in color. The various systems checking themselves as taste, smell, touch, sight and hearing were all enabled. His identification was verified before everything suddenly disappeared.

Everything was black, pitch darkness that no one could see into. Suddenly a sharp ping could be heard before a swirling of colour appeared. A single figured formed forth from the darkness with a glowing white hue. The person had an extremely feminine face with slightly long but neat black hair and dark eyes. He was of average height and was relatively tone. The soft ping of sound attracted his attention.

His name was Kirigaya Kazuto, a high school student. He had use to participate in the international stage of Kendo, easily winning the Junior Championships whilst giving even those in the Senior division a run for their money. Yet now here he was, one of the thousand Beta Testers for a game called [ _Seven Kingdoms_ Online], whom had returned after the first Virtual Online game had been officially released. The screen that had appeared before his eyes was one with simple words.

 _Transfer Data from Beta?_

 _[Yes] [No]_

He thought for a second before pressing the [Yes] that had appeared. Immediately the box swirled around him, all other screens that had appeared shimmering before changing. From what once had been a player race choice it was now multiple screens with his previous equipment: a coat, a blade, some boots, gloves, a belt.

 _Please select one item._

He shrugged before stretching out his hand and tapping over the blade screen. This caused everything to suddenly dart away when, before his eyes, a glowing white blade appeared before him. Everything about it was white. The blade, the hilt, the sheath.

 _Please Customize Blade._

His eyebrows shot up; looking to the side of the blade where a small virtual menu had appeared allowed a gleeful smile to appear on his face. He could even edit the stats to a certain degree. It took him almost an hour but he eventually manage to make a blade and sheath just the way he wanted. He had crafted the hilt with black leather, the cross guard was dark grey whilst the blade itself was as dark as midnight. It almost seemed to radiate coldness from the very core of, the soft outlines near the edge creating runes. The sheath was very much the same, black with the outlines of red. He had placed the stats evenly into sharpness, durability and weight allowing him to almost replicate the weapon he had in the Beta for this game.

Yet when he pressed the [OK] button a new row of circles appeared underneath the blade; each greyed out except for the very left which glowed gold. Each sparkling before another assortment of circles appeared to his left; each filled in with certain images. He stared in shock as a realization passed over him. The game was giving him the chance to select a perk for his blade. Immediately he searched the rows for the one image he had come to love in the Beta. [ _Soul Stealer_ ]. It was a specific perk found only in his Racial Region in the game that had allowed the player to gain a single point bonus to a certain stat that weapon; it could be allocated according to the players choice, but that was for the higher level perk, the low level perk made it a randomized choice by the games number generator. He pressed the icon and dragged it into the glowing perk holder, reading the description to check for differences since the Beta.

 _[Soul Stealer V: Every two hundred monster kills allow the player to allocate a single point into the weapon used.]_

Once he pressed [OK] all those screens disappeared and his adrenaline began to pump as his excitement for the game rose.

 _[Sword will scale into game, each level up will level the blade up/]_

[ _USERNAME: KIRITO. ACCEPTABLE?]_

 _[Yes] [No]_

Irritated he quickly hit the [Yes] before watching as the darkness seemed to fade away, an invasion of colour rushed at him, as the world seemed to come into form. Although the knowledge of having his weapon level with him was certainly something he looked forward to. He grinned as he looked around once the bright colours faded away. All around him were huge ancient stone buildings that looked as though they had been built thousand of years in the past. Most buildings were covered in vines and moss; all around him players were already bustling to check out NPC vendors for starting gear; some he could see rushed out for grinding. Heavy treetops rose above the city like a roof and filtered the light down into a dim.

A screen suddenly popped up in front of his face, his eyes scanned over the message before a wide smile appeared on his face.

 _[Beta Thanks: As a reward for participating in the closed Beta of Seven Kingdoms Online you are given Enclosed Grimoire]_

He immediately opened his menu with a down swipe of his right hand and looked as a new glowing function appeared on his character menu. He pressed on it, the words Grimoire disappearing as a new screen appeared before his eyes, the tutorial page.

 _[As thanks for participating in our Beta you are now capable of creating new Sword Skills and Martial Arts.]_

"I'm back." He breathed, hand quickly closing his screen as to ensure that information was kept private.

He scrolled through the setting and turned off all assisting system for new players; especially flight. Immediately he could feel a caked layer of gel falling off his back, cracking like hard clay before falling to the ground and disappearing in a swirl of blue pixels. From his shoulder blades a great itch took place, he refrained himself from scratching it, then the relief came along with a slight pain. From his upper back two pairs of translucent black wings burst forth. They sparkled despite the darkness above him; he smiled before arching his back. The larger of the pair of wings stopped when they reached his knees whilst the second pair stopped at the same place. But just as he was about to launch himself forth, a voice stopped him.

"Hey you!" the owner of that voice wore a red headband over his crimson hair. He looked a few years older than the average player, and was wearing the typical cloth clothing with a black starting katana at his hip. He had a rugged jaw with a small hints of a beard there, "You are a Beta Tester right?"

Kirito just stared at him, confused and bewildered at the sudden boldness, "Yeah …" he replied carefully.

"My name is Klein. Please take pity on a new player like me and show me the ropes!" he begged, clasping his hands together and giving a formal Japanese bow.

That was how Kirito found himself showing the random player the ropes. They were in the thick forest that surrounded their nation, before them hanging off multiple branches were large snakes, each easily over a ten meters long; they were the level 1 mob known as _Large Python_. They had a large pool of health and had extremely quick attacks but a slow rate. Klein was sitting on his butt after being knocked back by a head swing. Kirito grinned at him even as he parried away the snake.

"That is one of the things that ensures this game is a head over everything else." He said laughing at the pained expression of Klein, "Pain simulation is just at 50%."

"That really sucks." The samurai wannabe groaned as he fell on his back, grasping his crotch.

"You just have to be careful." Kirito said shaking his head with mirth, "Come on, get up."

"In this world your blade can carry you across the stars. The primary fighting tool are the _Sword Arts_ , these are powerful premade attacks that use the system to strengthen its attack and speed." He gave Klein an example as they found another snake that reared its head at them. He brought his blade to his side before it began to glow with wisp of black along with the streaks of red in it; suddenly he burst forth with speeds unparalleled, the snake ended up losing a large chunk of its health as his blade struck the mob, he froze for half a second before he quickly jumped back, just as the snakes head struck out with blinding speed.

"So like … this?" he asked suddenly swinging his weapon and only chipped away a small sliver of the mobs health.

"Not really; you have to input the original action and let the system carry out the rest for you." He said, trying to think of how to explain to Klein, "It's like, place it against your hip and when you feel it humming and see it shining, let it … explode."

"Explode …" Klein said, placing his katana against his hip. He watched as the blade glowed a tinge of green when he suddenly burst forward, the blade arched downwards and cut through the snake, causing it to explode in a shatter of blue polygons as the damage exceeded that of its yellow health, "Oh!" he exclaimed as a screen popped up in front of him.

"Good job." Kirito said grinning as he congratulated the new player, "Congrats on the level up."

"Thank you for helping me." Klein said bowing again.

"No problem." The boy clad in leather armor replied, "Want to keep going?"

"Yeah!" Klein exclaimed before rushing off into the forest swinging his blade around.

They rushed into the forest undergrowth, quickly over taking the areas where the _Large Python_ spawned. Very quickly they had found themselves in the territory of _Flying Leech_. They were large pink monsters with six limbs that ended with five long fingers. There were large green sacs along each of their shoulders and back, two pair of wings protruding from their spines. They had long necks without any eyes; their mouths were large circles that had a singular long tongue twisting out. Klein originally had trouble against them, their quick jumping and fast movements causing him to miss a lot of his _Sword Skills_. Eventually they manage to get into a rhythm and soon the sounds of glass shattering accompanied with blue polygons fluttering into the sky were all that could be heard.

By the end of the day they had been grinding the game for over five hours and had leveled up from level 1 to level 5; along the way Kirito had created a few more new _Sword Skills_. Apparently to create a _Sword Skill_ he had to activate the _Grimoire_ and then swing his sword in the desired pattern with full accuracy before finalizing it as a new skill. It was interesting to see how they worked; now they sat against a tree watching as the darkness of night slowly threatened to overwhelm them.

"Well that was fun." Klein said, looking at Kirito out of the corner of his eye as he nodded in agreement, "By the way … How did you get those wings? Is it a Beta thing?" Klein asked.

"No, wings are randomly generated amongst the population and even then some races have a higher chance of having wings than others." Kirito explained to him.

"So how do I check if I have any?" he asked, trying to turn around and look down his back to see if he could grow wings or not.

"Open your menu and check the character page." Kirito said, showing him as he swiped his own finger down in the air, "See this check box? Do you have it?" he asked. Underneath the 3D spinning model himself there was a box that stated [ _Wings_ ], he looked over to Klein's page and watched as the man ticked the box, and both of them watched in awe as his wings came to life. However unlike Kirito's wings, Klein's wings were smaller, stopping at about his upper thigh for his larger pair whilst the smaller pair only stopped at his buttocks.

"Why are mine so short compared to yours?" Klein asked, confused as he tried to make them move.

"Mine are made for flying and increased agility. Yours are made for increase in speed." Kirito told him, "Wing lengths, just like wing chances, are entirely generated via the number generator; those wings are still pretty good though."

"How do I make them move?" he asked, scrunching his face and wiggling his back as he tried to make himself hop even.

"That you have to learn yourself." Kirito said laughing, "I can't teach you that one. Sorry." He said with a sheepish look on his face, "But once you learn how to fly you'll love it, it's like a drug."

"Don't worry about it." The gruff man waved him off, "You've done more than enough, so thanks again. By the way, I have a bunch of friends from the other side coming on too, we're thinking of making a guild made for the samurai! Would you like to come?"

Kirito grimaced internally at that, he preferred to be a solo player, as most Beta Testers did, and disliked the idea of being tied down by people. His face must have twisted because Klein immediately took down his own idea.

"I mean if you don't want to it's fine. I'm sure we'll still see each other around." He said grinning as he raised his fist for Kirito to fist bump, "Well I better be going, I've got pizza and ginger ale coming at 5.30pm and it's already 5.25pm."

"Well you came prepared for a long dive." Kirito said grinning, "I'll probably keep going for a bit."

"Alright then. Thanks again for your help." Klein bowed before standing up and swiping his finger, scrolling through the menu options.

"Enjoy your dinner." He said smiling.

"It's not here?" Klein asked confused after a few seconds; his voice catching the attention of Kirito who had been checking his weapon durability.

"What do you mean it's not there?" he asked back, equally as confused as he was, his finger swiping down to check Klein's statement, "It's at the bottom right here …" his voice trailed off as he looked at the empty space where the [ _Log Out_ ] button should have been.

"It's alright, I mean it's only the first day there are bound to be bugs right?" Klein said, laughing nervously.

"Yeah …" Kirito mused quietly, the implications of it not going missed by him.

"There isn't any emergency log out is there?" Klein asked, reaching up around his head as though he could lift off the NerveGear on his head.

"No. Whilst we are here our bodies in the real world are entirely paralyzed." He said, fear starting to seep into his eyes.

"How about calling a Game Master?" Klein asked as he started to spam the call button.

"Hopefully they're already looking into it." Kirito said, shrugging as he tried to banish the sense of un-easement within him.

Whatever Klein was about to say was suddenly cut off when a loud voice boomed across the game.

" _Players of [Seven Kingdoms Online] I bid you welcome to my world._ " The voice was a deep powerful boom, sounding almost like a god talking from the heavens, " _You may have realized by now that the [Log Out] button is missing, this is not an accident but rather a game function._ "

"What?" Klein asked, turning wide eye to Kirito.

" _There will be no more revivals, when your Health in this world hits 0 the NerveGear will emit a powerful wave that will kill you. Any attempt to remove the NerveGear forcibly will emit this wave and, again, kill you._ " This was a nightmare, if they died now, they really died forever, " _Already 217 players have died as a result of this, however as of this moment every news agency and reporting firm has spread the word of this; the fear of death from the outside should be nullified so that you can focus on clearing the game. You, the remaining_ _5 million players must clear this game in it's three stages. When you defeat the final boss you will all be transported out of this world._ "

"Kayaba!" a scream somewhere else could be heard, anger and fear could be felt spreading across the game.

" _With this I complete the official tutorial to [Seven Kingdoms Online] and I bid you good luck in this game._ " the thundering voice faded away, leaving a stunned world and sudden screams that struck more swift than any mob could ever dream of.

"H-hey Kirito … this is a joke … right?" Klein asked, his face slack with shock and fear.

"We're actually stuck here." Kirito whispered, his mind quickly racing as he thought through his survival method.

"Kirito …" the man said, his voice about to break.

"Klein listen to me." He said, grabbing Klein by his shoulders and shaking him a little, "I'm going to head out to the next outpost, within a few hours these lands will be picked clean. Come with me, I know the way there that is safe and –"

"I'm sorry Kirito, but I can't." Klein apologized, interrupting him, his voice was still caked and thick, "My friends, they're waiting for me. I can't just ditch them."

The Beta Tester's mind whirled, one person he could help but a few more? Impossible. He shook his head, as he looked at the friend he had gained in the last few hours.

"I can't Klein, I'm sorry." He responded sadly.

"It's fine. You've helped me enough." He said, suddenly slamming his right fist over his heart and forcing his voice to clear, "I'll help them from what you have taught me, thank you Kirito." He bowed.

"No worries." Kirito stammered out before bowing too, "Good luck Klein." He said, they looked up at each other before giving a single nod. The soft tears on the mans face shone despite the darkening sky.

"Good bye Kirito, and good luck." He said softly as the Beta Tester nodded and disappeared straight up into the sky; not once did either look back as they went their separate ways


	2. Chapter 2 - The Rat

**Chapter 2**

" _Whilst in this world a persons physical form will have no effect on their ability to act; despite the realistic scan of their gender and body. As such stats in this game mean everything." ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Stats_

The first thing he needed to do was gain better armor, his blade would scale along with him so what he needed was, at the moment, better defense. As of that moment he was flying at top speed towards some ancient ruins with a quest that would allow him to gain a piece of armor that when leveled would help him up to level 25, easily, considering that there was the capability to upgrade it up to fifty times. Its name was _Kofun Armor_.

Quickly he began to slow down, losing altitude as he decided to go into the jungle now. He ducked and weaved through the forest branches, graceful enough that not a single snag was made. As he landed the scenery was absolutely awe shocking. Ancient crumbled buildings stood proud with any pride they could have left after years of weathering. Grooves of each individual brick filled with the roots of plants, large trees grew off, and through, the buildings. Tumbled pieces of stone lay littered like strewed toys. Before his eyes, covered behind a curtain of leaves, was a large building. It looked like an ancient temple and he stepped tentatively forward, unsure to what had changed from the Beta.

As he entered, the rock looming above him like a beast ready to devour him, his eyes scanned the darkness, watching carefully as he walked through the broken halls. Kirito scanned through the multiple rooms as he walked, their stained floors of black indicated battle, he could see the few skeletons tumbled into a corner as time and effect took their grip on the dead.

Quickly he fastened his pace, soon it became too dark for him to even see; his one hand was following the way of the wall, his steps careful just in case something came barreling out of the darkness. But then he saw it, the prin-pick of light that shone down from above. As he neared he just realized how large the hall he was walking in.

He was but a small fraction, the celling was so high that he could not see it in the darkness; some sections had fallen down, no doubt the result of time and weather. From these spears of light Kirito walked carefully through the arches above him, the pillars on either side seem to echo with a promise of painful death.

Then he heard it, the shuffling of feet and moaning of the dead. Immediately he dashed forward, not even sparing a look back as he quickly jumped over a fallen piece of debris, his blade swinging in a motion as he slammed it with the flat of his blade sending it flying backwards. He could hear the crashing and cracking of bone even as he continued his mad man dash. Quickly he reached a door, and it was only then that he stopped and turned around to look.

Chasing after him was a horde of skeletons. Their pale bones standing out against the dark, empty soulless eye sockets staring at him even as their jaws clicked, their movements were jerky, almost like a newborn foal. In their hands was an assortment of weapons ranging from spears to stones. They carried on their bodies the armor of their fallen comrade and a screen popped up before Kirito.

[ _Quest: Nephilim's Undead: Activated]_

 _[Kill all skeletons in the room.]_

Quickly he readied his blade even as they shambled closer to him, when suddenly they screamed. Kirito wasn't sure how they could scream neither without their voice boxes nor without any lungs, but they certainly had the fear factor down. From their slow shamble they suddenly broke into a sprint, dashing forward with fury as their clawed fingers reached out to him. As soon as they got into range his blade flashed, trails of black and red following him as he swung his sword like a demon. He unleashed a barrage of his _Sword Skills_ many were the newly created ones he had made, he made sure to continue his pace backwards, killing many but keeping a safe distance to ensure they didn't surround him. Despite being three levels higher than he was each had relatively low stats that enabled him to dispose of them easily, however it was their sheer number that made them a nightmare to face.

Leaning back even as a claw swiped forward, he retaliated immediately through a dancing blade, slashing across the air and decapitating the skeleton where it stood; he watched in satisfaction as it shattered into the blue polygons that he now recognize as death for anyone who reached the end of their _Health_. He jumped back, using his wings to allow him a larger jump than what should have been possible. As he landed gracefully on his feet he readied his next _Sword Skill_ , one that he had made despite being low leveled. Kirito rested the blade against his left hip, spreading out his legs into a stance that made him look like he was sitting on an invisible chair. The blade was glowing with jet-black streaks and golden light. Once they came in about a meters range he unleashed his skill.

He had named it, _Limited Blade Works_. It was a 10 hit skill that swung out his blade in front of him and sliced everything it touched. With his stat points from leveling up placed into _Agility_ it allowed him to quickly swing his blade and cut down the swarming skeletons. As his combination came to an end he quickly stabbed his sword into the ground and activated a unique Seido racial ability. _Signed In Blood_ is a skill that allowed Kirito to single out a _Nephilim Corpse_ and duel him alone, everything else was pushed back five meters and kept there as per dueling rules. He made quick work of the singled out mob and quickly used his wings to jump against a pillar before swinging away into a nearby light.

The fight continued for a long time with Kirito leveling up to level 8 from soloing this dungeon. As the last _Nephilim Corpse_ shattered into a thousand blue polygons Kirito stabbed his sword into the ground and sat down, the pressure from taking on easily over a hundred skeletons by himself had absolutely worn him down. On the good side he had already allocated over 3 points to his blade from the _Unique Passive_ that it had. He sighed when a window popped up before him with the quest reward within it, along with a large number of Col and Mats that would help him level up his armor. Kirito swung his sword to his right before sheathing it in one smooth motion into his back. His left hand manipulating the character window as he equipped his hard earned armor.

It looked like folds of leather stitched together from back that overlapped each other to give him optimum defense. It was dark brown in color and had golden studs lining the overlaps to ensure their positioning. It fitted the slender frame of his body perfectly, giving him a nice boost to his _Agility_ and _Vitality_. Three buckles, made on top of one another, lined the front of his armor ensuring his armor stayed together in one place when he moved. It was smooth and slick, shining under the sun almost like it had been polished by hand. Kirito shook his head with a small smile as he launched himself forward, deeper into the dungeon and so he grinded and grinded for the next few hours.

His eyes were dimly aware of the brightening sky when he finally came out of the dungeon, having picked it clean of experience and Col. His level had jumped from 8 to 12 from his vigorous farming. He even had enough Mats to level up his armor to the max in one go if he was lucky.

"That was tiring." Kirito yawned, stretching his back. His long trek back to town had begun, but he was not even half way there when a PM notification appeared in the very top right corner of his HUD. The blue lines across the edges edging into his view like vines reminded him that this was not reality, rather this was a death game he was caught in. This was evident that despite the last few hours of swinging his sword like a mad man as he attempted to farm, his arms were not even sore rather it was his mind that felt numb like he was about to simply fall down dead.

However no matter how tired he was the scenery around him was still as beautiful as ever. He had opted for walking instead of flying in consideration to how tired he was, but as he walked amongst the roots of these great trees he could not help but be struck with awe at home amazing this world was. Every single intricate detail was thought out by Kayaba Akihiko; every interaction was planned out to perfection. If this world hadn't turned into a death game it would have been one he would have perfectly enjoyed playing hours upon hours. The idea to remove magic had been a bold tactical strategy by Kayaba; it allowed him to draw in a curious audience who had no idea what would happen in this world.

He opened the PM by pulling down his finger and opening the menu's page, quickly he navigated to [ _Messages_ ] and read the content. He almost grimaced the moment he saw the name.

[ _Kii-bouu~_

 _Ki-bou why haven't you contacted me? This game has been hectic! I've already sold more than 10 000 Col worth of information and I'm desperately being bugged down. Listen we have to talk, meet me in Choyaku_. _See you soon~_

 _Argo_

 _PS. You're paying._ ]

Kirito groaned as he reread the message.

Argo had been one of his few friends during the Beta Testing time, she was well known for being the best information broker there was, severely out doing all competition and ruthlessly getting rid of them; it was rumored that she knew even more than some of the designers themselves. However all knowledge comes with a price, and hers came with a pretty hefty price. Despite this many people flooded to her to know about information regarding bosses, areas, rare drops and even love lives of certain gamers.

They had stumbled across each other when he was grinding for Mats and couldn't find this one. In frustration he had thrown his sword on the ground and imbedded it into the rock underfoot. She had laughed at him before teasing him; she had gotten his name and immediately partied with him to find the Mat. Eventually they found a Mat, after fighting a boss nonetheless; he had saved her from the death penalty that followed after the one minute [ _Fatal_ Fall]. They had then travelled back to the outpost when he found out who she was and what she did later on he had questioned her on why she wanted to party with him. She had told him that something about him drew her in before teasing him for saving her and giving him the nickname Kii-bou. Although, he did always wonder about those whiskers on her face; he wondered if she still had them.

Deciding to humor her he continued on his way to the town, he needed to go there anyway. _Choyak_ in all honesty was not even a town; it was more of a farming village that supplied the capital of _Seido_ with its food. There were farming houses made of bamboo shoots and cloth panels. Triangular brown roofs reflected the sunlight dully; they seemed to be placed in random places as though a child had simply thrown them on the ground. Long white pathways contrasted the brown muddy water surrounding them in long rectangular shapes. Individual stems of green could be seen poking out just above the waters surface with NPC's walking around. At the far end of the village there was a single mud baked building that was known as the blacksmiths area, near by that there was an even larger brown building with wooden walls and paper panels; written in Japanese were the words _Flying Boar_. A stereotypical name for a stereotypical bar.

As he pulled open the paper door the smell of beer and tea waffled to his nose like a solid wave of hot air. He staggered for a second, shaking his head, before walking in, and his eyes easily identifying Argo in the corner with her hooded cloak. She looked up as he approached the short rectangular table, her chocolate brown eyes staring back at his with a twinkle of mischief, curls of golden auburn hair fell around her face like a perfect frame. Her face was small and petite with a cute look as a result of her pale skin. There were three marks on either side of her face, most identifiably as whiskers of Argo, The Rat. He knew that underneath that cloak she was wearing full body armor and had a nimble build with mainly everything into _Agility_ , claws would be attached to her belt along with throwing picks; she was a sneaky rat with very sharp claws.

"Kii-bou!" she yelled flinging her arms around his neck as she hugged him, "You came; are you willing to accept my previous offer." Her sly smile made him shiver as he slowly dethatched her arms from around his neck. She pouted as they sat down, sad that he rejected her again.

"What do you want Argo?" he asked sitting down, crossing his arms over his chest.

"C'mon Kii-bou don't be so cold to me." She whined.

"You're that cold to everyone else." Kirito pointed out, one eyebrow raised.

"But not to you." She said softly, a soft blush going across her face, a sudden awkwardness and solemnness fell upon them.

"Argo …" Kirito sighed, he hated dealing with emotional stuff; he found it absolutely baffling, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm adapting Kii-bou. Looks like you got your armor?" Argo asked with a slight tease.

"Yeah." He agreed, "So why did you call me here?"

"Because I wanted to talk?" she said sheepishly.

"Argo." His voice was flat.

"You're no fun Kii-bou." She sighed.

"I know." The boy clad in black grinned.

"I called you here because I wanted to see if you got this." She opened her menu before materializing a black book, waving it in front of his face.

"Yes." Kirito replied, opening his own menu with a down swipe and summoning his own _Grimoire_ , "I have my _Grimoire_."

"You know what it does correct?" she questioned, flipping open her own book.

"Yes." His fingers quickly shifting through the pages of the _Grimoire_ and showing her a page with new _Sword Skills_ listed down as his creation.

"Kii-Bou I have someone who is willing to buy your _Grimoire_ and _Kofun Armor_ for 75 000 Col." She jabbed the table to emphasize her point.

"75 000?" he breathed, "The game hasn't even been two days yet. How do you earn that much?"

"I don't know, I don't ask questions." Argo said, "So?"

"No, I'm not giving either up. Tell the buyer no." he said shaking his head.

"Knew you were going to say that Kii-bou." She giggled, "It was already done."

"Then what was the point of you calling me here?" he asked exasperatedly, smacking a palm into his face.

"Come on Kii-bou, don't be like that." Argo whined, draping a hand over his arm.

"Argo …" his words were left hanging, the tone of a threat obvious.

"I need to check if you'll vote for me in the up coming elections." Argo huffed, puffing her cheeks a little.

"Is that it?" Kirito questioned, laughed.

"So you'll vote for me?" Argo asked, giving him a curious stare.

"Yeah I will." He said, "Well maybe at a price."

"Kii-bou …" Argo started.

"Now, now, I am just playing your game Argo." Kirito said grinning.

"You're insufferable Kii-bou." The infamous information dealer groaned.

"Fine, I'll keep this favor if you win." Kirito said, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks Kii-bou." She smiled, a nice big grin, "You'll still treat me the same if I'm leader right?" her voice was soft; almost as if she was afraid.

"Always." The solo player gave her a reassuring smile, ruffling her hair as he stood up, the notification for him to pay appearing and disappearing as his fingers expertly flew across the holographic keyboard, "Come on, let's go." He said, waving her over.

"Wait where are we going?" she asked as he started towards the door, "Kii-bou!" she yelled, quickly getting to her feet and dashing across the ground to keep pace with him.

"We're going grinding." He grinned over his shoulder, black eyes gleaming against her brown. Their height difference could be said to be a little comical, she was only up against his shoulder when she stood up straight, and just as thin as he was.

"Kii-bou I can't." she said shaking her head, loosening the hood a little, "I have to meet with more people, get more votes. I am –"

"Argo?" he interrupted, entirely shutting down her oncoming rant of the list of things she had to do.

"Yes?" She asked, a little annoyed that he had interrupted her.

"Shut up." He said laughing, "You'll be hardly allowed to grind once you're Empress, so just spend this time with me." His easygoing grin tearing down every wall she had put up around herself, and she groaned audibly, "You were the one who said I should stop by more."

"Fine Kii-bou. You win this time." She glared playfully at him whilst he laughed, both of them walking out of the town at high noon as they entered into another part of the forest surrounding them.

By the time they had finally finished evening had came to the world, flickering torches in _Choyaku_ casted strange shadows everywhere. They had rented a room for the evening, one for each of them; Argo had a tired but glad smile plastered across her face. She was constantly glancing over to Kirito and blushing a little as they walked. When they finally reached their rooms Argo lurched to the left and wrapped her arms around him, her head resting against his chest as his arms came up hesitantly. A little internal chuckle shuffling through her body.

"Goodnight Kii-bou, thanks for today." She whispered.

"No problem." Kirito said softly, tired as well, "Let's go sleep."

They both slept well that evening, yet when the morn came only Kirito came out; Argo had been long gone before the first rays of sunlight peaked over the horizon.


	3. Chapter 3 - Snakes Demise

**Chapter 3 - Snakes Demise**

" _A Kingdoms Leader can be changed through either the individual stepping down or through the slaying of the Ruler. As such assassination can be a viable method to change Leaders with the person dealing the Last Hit gaining that position." ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Ruler and Change_

Nearby to _Seido_ , about a 10 minute full speed flight, there was something called _The Labyrinth_. It was a large underground tunnel system that interweaved itself and allowed players to reach higher-level mobs that would normally require one to travel even further than _The Labyrinth_. It was on such a time where Kirito was flying past this that he found a most peculiar sight. A single person was attempting to solo the large amount of mobs they had pulled, their _Sword Skills_ flashing in varying colors of purple and blue, each swing almost an overly powered hit that was not required to kill such mobs. But despite that the person was good, their body was naturally flexible enabling them to move with quick dashes and strong hits, their slices could almost be akin to jackhammer swings and each _Sword Skill_ was being used in conjunction; like that person knew the bug that a large majority of Beta Testers had used.

Yet as he watched the person over extended themselves, fatigue having quickly caught up to them; and immediately Kirito dashed forward, his sword singing arches of destruction that cut through critical points of multiple mobs at the same time leaving nothing but sounds of shattering glass and a view of blue crystals flying off into the sky. He caught the person as they fell down and it was only then that he could see their features properly in the dim lit _Labyrinth_. His eyes widened when he realized in his arms was a female player on the verge of unconsciousness.

She had a slim build with milky white skin that had a tint of purple in them. She had long, lustrous and gorgeous purplish jet-black hair, her half lidded eyes showed crimson red eyes. She was wearing what looked like black half-armor, which covered her chest and bulged a little in certain areas, a bluebottle violent blouse and a windswept dress of the same colour beneath the armor. A thin black sheath was hanging from her waist whilst her black sword lay in her hand. Kirito sighed as he carried her out, holding her close to his chest. He watched in fascination as the scenery got lighter around them; in this Virtual world there was no such thing as absolute darkness, there would always be some sort of ambient light that came from the ground or from the walls.

When he came out the night sky had already stretched far above him, twinkling through the treetops like far away lights untouchable by human hands. He placed the girl gently down against a tree, ignoring the slight shivers she had at the lost of warmth. Not soon after her head touched the wood her eyes snapped open, they blazed for a second before sputtering out into a defeated look, she turned her head to the side with a far away gaze; almost like she was expecting him to do something. He promptly ignored her and began to look through his inventory, scrolling to check if he had any spare Mats or Col to give; and indeed he did. Quickly pressing something a pop up window appeared in front of the girl, he watched over the top of his holographic screen as she turned her head slowly, almost fearfully, and stared at the screen. Her eyes widened before snapping up to meet his, disbelief colored like the red in her eyes.

"Accept it. You look like you have been fighting for a few days straight." Kirito said, leaning back against his own tree, "When was the last time you slept?"

"Few days ago." The murmured, not moving to accept the screen nor dismiss it, "Why did you save me? I will not pay you back." Her voice was laced with suspicion, her anger rekindling.

He noted her suspicious laced words and carefully crafted an answer.

"You were about to die." He said, crossing his arms, "You pushed yourself too hard and got swarmed and I don't need your payment."

"Does it matter?" she asked quietly with hair falling down around her, "We're all going to die here anyway."

"We might make it out." He said with conviction.

"No ones coming to save us, don't give me false hope." She whispered, slumping even further down.

"Why do we need saving?" he asked, "We are gamers aren't we? If anyone can clear this game it is us."

"We're never getting out! Stop giving me false hope!" she suddenly looked up and screamed at him, "There is no hope so leave! Leave me alone!"

Kirito jerked back as the silence over took them in waves leaving nothing but a tense silence between them. He cancelled the trade window, the soft tinkling of a closing window all that could be heard asides from the chirping of insects in the night forest. Somehow no mobs came stumbling after them with their hate red cursors. He materialized the items and Col needed: a few _Lizard Hide_ , _Bread_ , _Water Flask_ and even _Black Iron Ore_. She did not even look up at the items that appeared in a swirl of bright blue particles.

"Here." He said, dropping them into her lap; her stiff jaw and locked neck indicated she was not even going to look at him, "Don't stay up too late. There is an inn in _Rabirinsu_ as well as the first boss clear meeting; come if you want." He said before walking off. Taking note of the name that had appeared over her head. _Yuuki_.

He sighed as he left her, his eyes scanning the trees for mobs. Very quickly he reached _Rabirinsu_ himself. The town itself whilst being made of houses of wood and paper were created in such a way that they themselves resembled a labyrinth. Large spirals of houses created multitudes of alley ways that could send people crazy and lost, the method that a majority of players used to get in and out was using a _Sword Skill_ and dashing quickly up the wall before perching on it and running off. Kirito did the same. That evening, after he had taken a short nap and restocked all the necessaries, Kirito quickly escaped the weird structure of this town and entered the forest around it the next day just as the first ray of lights peaked over the horizon.

His flight hadn't taken very long and now he was at the very skirts of the [Seido] Kingdom border of that moment fighting off hordes of level 25 monsters. He was currently level 20 having jumped from eight levels in two weeks. That was pretty solid at the moment according to Argo. He sighed at the thought of that girl. She had managed to win the elections by a landslide, entirely crushing her political oppositions and swaying over the general mass relatively quickly. As he had expected she was hardly allowed outside the city to grind by herself and instead had an assortment of 'body guards' who deemed themselves worthy of her grace. Whenever Kirito had tried to get close to say a few words they had quickly shoved him away before Argo could notice.

He had decided down the path of silence for the sake of peace, it would not look well if Argo lost her bodyguards within the matter of a few weeks; thus he had kept his mouth shut. But they had been PMing each other regularly quickly sending messages to each other in the late nights and soon he found himself sleeping quite happily after those talks. He had found out more about the strange mysterious girl, along with a few titbits of information that ended up draining his pockets of his hard earnings. However today he was acting upon one of those pieces of information. It was rumored that currently along the edges of [Seido] a strange field boss could be seen. It was hinted to drop a powerful item and seemed to be drawing the clearer's into a search for it. So therefore Kirito was now here, scanning through the thick tree leaves whilst also leaving a wide girth of dead monsters shattering into the wind.

The field boss was rumoured to be a giant serpent, one akin to the legend of great sea snakes that could destroy islands whole. It was said that it specialised in Wind Magic with spells reaching at least level 20. From glimpses reported by people the average range it seemed to be in was level 25 to level 35, easily a whole five levels above most players.

He sighed as he leaned against a tree, his balance helping to keep him steady whilst a long drop spanned out underneath him. The sound of his sigh rang through the forest like a toiling bell, unnerving against the silence. Kirito shook his head before jumping to another tree branch; then another. His wings fluttering behind him as they helped him with his speed and agility, even for other players from the Kingdom of [Seido] watching Kirito would have been near impossible. As he flew he noted the individual specks of sunlight, the light morning dew that left water bubbles of all sizes littered around the leaves like a beautiful dust layer. The cool air striking against his body, more so as he went fast. Yet it was at this moment that he felt free, it felt like this wasn't a death game, rather it was a privileged life that he could live in. As he ran forward he suddenly twisted, his sword flashing around him in a circle as it cleanly decapitated a random mob in half, the shattering sound behind him and the reward pop up in front of him entirely ignored. Suddenly the sound of weapons striking one another alongside with the screams of desperate cries cut through the forest like a knife through wet paper.

He bounced off a tree before flying straight above the roof of leaves above him, his vision turning dark before suddenly exploding in a dazzling white. Before his eyes the widening sea of green spread out like water, the sparkling of leaves seem to be replicated from the sparkles of sunlight on water. Branches stood out like sore thumbs, yet gave the scene an almost surreal image, the white clouds above him dimming down the harsh light a little. Yet what really caused him concern was the strange mob that seemed to be surrounded by small specks in the distance. The beast looked like a giant serpent, entirely green in color and as he got closer he saw the layers upon layers of scales that surrounded it. It had piercing crimson red eyes that screamed anger and a long tongue that slashed out at the air whilst it roared. It disappeared into the forest once more and Kirito watched helpless as it suddenly bursted forth from underneath a person who was swallowed whole. The death sound of shattering glass ringing through the sky. Above its rearing head and snapped jaws was the name Flying Apophis along with three green circles slowly spinning on its back.

Unlike in other previous RPGs around the world which had static green rectangular bars near a mobs name, however in [Seven Kingdoms Online] a mobs health is represented by a large green circle which slowly spins behind it, as damage is dealt the outer circles will dim down first, slowly turning into yellow before hitting red. Once it shatters the mob will follow up after quickly. Unlike players, mobs have the capability to use magic and as such also have a smaller blue circle circulating their back underneath their green circle; once depleted most mobs are incapable of restoring their magic.

Looking at the field bosses health Kirito noted that the group had reduced the three circles down to two, entirely removing one bar at the cost of one life. He blasted himself forth using his wings and closed the gap within a minute. He pushed a person away just as the Flying Apophis rushed at them, its maw closing so closely that he could feel the wind whipping around them, sending them flying. Kirito manage to stop himself from twirling too far away, his blade flashing in the light before he lunged forward, his sword cutting into the bosses scales easily and leaving a nice amount of damage. He twirled away before summoning his second sword.

It was not unheard for players from [Seido] to duel wield considering they had specific Sword Skills for it and unique dueling techniques. However to do so put a greater strain upon the mental capacity of a player and required a higher skill capacity. Yet amongst all the players there Kirito was the only one with duel swords out. His weapons flashed in colours of red, green and blue as he flew around the mobs head, even landing on it at times to unleash a barrage of damage. However very quickly his secondary blade shattered leaving only his black blade from beta in his hands. Thinking quickly he jumped back, opening his item list and equipped another; just in time to dodge the bosses sudden dash for him.

"Who are you?" a person shouted out, their voice nearly drowned out by the roaring wind around them.

"It doesn't matter Soul Min!" another voice screamed, "Just kill this damn thing! Talk later!"

Kirito looked at the boy who had questioned him. He was average in height and rather thin, he had a messy mope of black hair alongside with long bangs covering his eyes which were a sharp blue. He was dressed in leather combat armour with black wings fluttering behind him to keep him afloat. His sword looked like it had seen better days, those edges were worn down. He watched as they rushed back into the fray, with him closely behind careful as the bosses second health slowly disappeared before shattering. It let out a enraged scream just as an orange glow shattered against its back and chopped off the last of its health. The scales suddenly glowed as though it was being heated, pieces flaking off like molten rock that set the trees ablaze where it touched. The skeleton of the boss visible as the flesh turned transparent. It looked like the boss was going supernova.

"Get back!" Kirito yelled over the wind, however his cry came too late.

The outer-shell of the boss exploded in all directions sending super heated scales like projectiles that ripped through anyone who hadn't fled. He watched as one person's life hit zero, watched as their [Final Stand] mode was killed by another flying piece before they could even reach him. Kirito watched in shock and horror as it suddenly snapped its head around, devouring another member whole before letting out an ear piercing screech that blasted all players away. It slunk into the trees, leaving fire burning like an obvious tell tale whilst other people tried to fly away screaming. He watched as one persons wings expired, watched as he fell like a rock just as the Flying Apophis snatched him into its maw before disappearing into the trees once more. Then he saw it, the red glow underneath a forest surface of green turning towards him before advancing at alarming speeds.

He launched himself up, swinging his blades around and activating Blade Whirl. It was another Sword Skill he had made in his Grimoire that consisted of him twisting his body and swinging his swords around at great speeds, it was mainly an agility based attack that was further boosted with his wings activated. As the field boss burst forth from the treetops Kirito spun towards it, the momentum from the spin allowing to easily dodge the snapping mouth despite its ginormous head as he sliced down at it whilst he passed. His black wings were humming out behind him as he cut a blow into the house sized monster head. His eyes flickered to the health bar and saw to his great amazement a large chunk of it disappearing; the monster must have sacrificed defence for offence.

The Beta Tester quickly dashed forward, lunging to the side when the Flying Apophis let loose a torrent of wind rushing forth from its mouth. As he passed by the large red eyes of the monster, those black dilated pupils staring at him, he swung his swords as they glowed a black and red colour, cutting it and making the monster go blind in one eye. He quickly flipped over the head, stabbing his left sword into it as he went leaving a large amount of damage from the piercing attack. His right blade came up with a swing of green leaving another red slice that exposed the crisscrossing of white lines under the very real looking skin. The beast shrieked as it went blind, the status appearing near its health circle on its back. Kirito flew back, swinging the black sword in his right hand behind him as he got ready to use one of the Martial Art skills of the [Seido] Kingdom under [Dueling].

Its name was Blades Beckoning and had the special effect of drawing the user to the blade as they held out their hand to it. He felt the immediate tug of the low level blade imbedded on the monsters head and immediately compacted his body and wings to allow the free fall down, he spun as he did so dodging the lashing body of the boss monster. Just before he hit into the Flying Apophis head he unfurled his wings from his back and used it to make him spin an entire circle; his black blade flashed out in an arch and cut firmly into the monsters neck depleting the last of the field bosses health and causing it to glow bright white before exploding into a shatter of blue polygons. The congratulations screen popped up before him along side the loot he had gotten from it. He sighed as his wings helped him flutter back to the treetops, the fire had disappeared along with the monsters death and he saw the party that had attempted to fight it standing there. They looked at him with a mixture of awe and fear, eyes questioning to what he had done.

"How did you do that?" one asked, they were huddled down against the trees, Kirito waited as his vision disappeared through the treetops, his eyes adjusting to the gloom underneath those roof of leaves. They were spread out across the branches, each hanging tightly with whitened knuckles to the branches. He looked around and counted ten, four had died while he was there but how many more had perished before he had arrived? If only he had been faster, stronger, better.

"You were in the Beta Test." it wasn't a question, it was a statement made by their leader. If Kirito remembered correctly there was a current hatred brewing against Beta Testers.

"Yes I was." Kirito replied, his voice even and smooth as he looked impassively at the remaining survivors.

"I hope you take no offense in this, I am grateful that you have saved the lives of myself and my comrades, but we will not linger around you more than necessary." Soul Min said, "We have no yearn to associate with you or your kind."

Kirito simply nodded, his wings extending out behind him as he suddenly burst into the air with a large amount of speed that sent trees and winds flapping away in the wind. He was not a social person and their obvious distaste towards him made the yearn to stay negligible.

As he flew he opened up his inventory to look at the new [ _Last Hit Bonus_ ] item. It was a leaf shaped sword crafted from the blackest of materials at a length of five feet, along the blade itself there were many grooves that all linked towards a singular gem in the hilt. The grip was made of golden metal with grooves for his fingers and imbedded with strange snake designs that showed a giant serpent devouring the sun. The name of the blade _Bane of Apophis_. The stats on this weapon were indefinitely high enough for him to use in conjunction alongside his current Beta sword. It also had a special effect that intrigued him a lot.

[ _This Sword is forged from the very teeth of Apophis, a great serpent who is destined to devour the Sun at the end of times. As such this item has the capability of sundering through armour (passive) and applying a powerful poison based on per hit (active).]_

Kirito grinned as he equipped the sword, the blade fit perfectly into his hands with a nice weight that allowed him to play to the style he was use to. This would make the perfect complimentary blade in his left hand. He quickly Pm'ed Argo to inform her that he would be attending the Boss Meeting.

They have to clear this boss before they are allowed to move on into the World Stage. Beta Tester or not he would help this world return to their families.


	4. Chapter 4 - Unlocking the World

**Chapter 4 – Unlocking the World**

" _Before the Seven Kingdoms can meet together and have international messages they must beat their Continental Boss. This will be a monster of enormous size with powers that could level mountains and strength that can stir the seas. Each nation has an individual boss to be found and slain before they can advance into the world stage."_ \- _Seven Kingdoms Online: Bosses_

"Alright everybody listen up!"

Those words rang loudly in the early morning, murmuring dying down as the scenery was taken into place.

Thousands of people were gathered in what looked like a wide sand plane. The soft cooling grains of sand caused many to shiver as they sat in it. Within the center a single person stood clothed in blue and gold armor. Each piece large and bulky with a horned helmet decorating their head. Swords were sheathed along their waist and large boots crunched against the sand.

Kirito racked his brain and remembered who this was; Shojin the leading captain of Argo's personal bodyguard. He was rather high leveled and indefinitely one of the strongest players for the [ _Seido_ ] Kingdom. He was known for being a brutish male chauvinist pig and yet at the same time a man with a silver tongue in the confines of the palace politics. It was rumored that at this time he was level 20, the same level as Kirito.

"I am here under the orders of Empress Argo! The first stage to completing this game lies within clearing the Kingdom's Boss." They could almost feel his eyes glancing over the crowd despite it being hidden behind the face of a demon, "As such jobs will be nominated to all of you in the ' _clearing_ ' group to ensure this boss is found and defeated."

"Who are you?" a voice called from the back, exclaiming with an undertone of rebellion. Who was he to command them?

"This is a game not a hierarchy!" another voice yelled, "You have no right to order us around!"

"Silence!" he thundered, "Any who dare defy me will taste my blade!"

"Larper!" a stranger cried out.

"This will not be tolerated." Shojin growled signaling with his hands to a group of guards behind him, "If anyone speaks up again I will slay you right here."

Silence stilled the clearing as the threat of death lay quiet every query.

"Now that you are all listening I will begin to give out roles." He snarled. Glaring at the smallest member in front of him he pointed at them and shouted, "You will be tasked with chopping down trees!"

"What?!" the small man roared, "I don't even have strength stats and you expect me to do –"

"You will do as I command!" Shijon boomed.

"No he won't." Kirito spoke up, he hated being in public spotlight but he hated this injustice even more. It burned in him like a vengenful fire and would not silence unless it was quenched, "Stop being a bully Shijon, it does not do well for the Empress Head Bodyguard to act like a five year old."

"Black Swordsman." The big man growled dangerousl.

"Leave him alone Shijon, just leave the clearing group be." He replied, his black clothes standing out against the gold sand around him as he stood up to the man.

"I am Shijon!" he thundered, "You will listen!"

"You have said the same thing over and over again for the last ten minutes, it is getting boring." The teenager clothed in black yawned, "I thought you were an adult not some hormonal kid."

"You –" he began only to be interrupted by Kirito.

"Yes I dare."

"How – "

"You're readable."

"What –"

"Just stop." Kirito yawned lazily, "Anyway I'm leaving. Bye." He said walking away. His black clothes parting the bodies of all around him like a plague as on lookers laughed at such an interaction.

He grinned when he heard that roar, the heavy steps charging at him could have been heard from a mile away. Quickly he spun to the side unsheathing his blades in one smooth motion and swung them up. Both swords sliced through Shijons armor, cutting it off and leaving the man standing without a shirt. The group exploded into cries of laughter and mockery at the big man.

"I've heard bosses who could walk quieter than you." He jibbed at the embarrassed man.

"I will murder you!" he screamed, swinging his sword violently as he attempted to hit Kirito. Everyone else had already backed away leaving a large circle around them.

The clearer clothed in black merely jumped back before dashing to the side, his sword imbedding themselves into the larger mans side. He then spun away, stabbing the other blade into his back before punching him with a _Martial Art Skill_ named _Black Fist_. Shijon crumpled to the ground and Kirito pulled both his blades out before walking away. Soon every clearer around them too walked away, their steps muffled by the sand as they all left the single beaten bodyguard in a circle of sand.

The next few weeks passed by relatively quietly, the Clearers went back to grinding and the bodyguards were snobbish as usual in the Capital and land surrounding it. Despite this Kirito was now beyond the current borders of the Kingdom and was climbing through the mountains, his dual swords hanging behind his back as he carefully stepped through tretcherous stone. There was a rumour, according to Argo, that there was a group of AI's in the mountains known as _The Silent Stones_. They were a coven of people in the lore of this world that wore nothing but grey cloaks that would drape along the ground. They were apparently powerful warriors with strength, dexterity and agility unparalleled. It was almost as if they were godly.

Therefore Kirito was now trying to find their hidden sanctuary, one that was merely tipped off by a player seeing a bunch of grey clothed beings walking across the mountain face. As his eyes scanned the mountain for an entrance he could not help but be captivated by the view around him. He was just underneath the clouds, they passed over him; rolling as though they were being fast-forwarded in a video. The rocks were pale, streaks of water marks cutting into the rock, beneath him he could see the distant trees each misted over by clouds. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, the blue sky ranging above his head in freedom whilst the sun blazed hotly overhead.

Eventually he found it, his eyes noticing the slight difference in a certain rock formation and upon reaching it found a cave opening. Thin and small with hardly any space to maneuver, but it was there. Kirito squeezed himself through the cracks of the stone, no monster stood here. Suddenly he stumbled forward, crashing to the ground as the steps tripped him, a wide cave standing before him. He could see many small huts with small streaks of sunlight filtering through holes in the rock dome around them. He stared at the children staring back at him and froze when the cool touch of metal could be felt against his neck.

"Why have you trespassed our territory _Adventurer_?" a cold stern voice questioned him from behind.

"I wish no harm to you or your kin." Kirito replied, him still lying on the floor on his hands and knees.

"Then why have you come?" another voice spoke, he felt another cold blade touching his right arm.

"I have come to learn the ways of _The Silent Brethren_." He replied, hoping that his word choice would trigger the quest.

"To learn? You seek our knowledge." the same cold voice came again.

"Yes."

"And why do you seek the power of Runes _Adventurer_?" the blade was pressed closer against his neck, digging into his flesh.

"To gain strength to defeat this world." Kirito said, gulping a little as he felt the blade lingering.

Kirito felt the blades disappearing against his neck and turned to get a good look at the wielder of that blade as he heard the command, "Stand."

The AI in question had an appearance from the stuff of nightmares. His eyes, underneath the heavy grey cowl that covered his face, were empty sockets. Blue runes were written across their skin like a never-ending tattoo, each carve seemed to pulse with every step they took. His mouth was sewed shut, the string crisscrossing across his lips. Their cheeks were sunken in with each bone structure emphasized. When he spoke once more Kirito watched in amazement, as his lips did not move; instead the voice that he had ringing was from within his mind.

"Come, you will meet our leader." The man said as he began to walk towards one of the huts.

Each was made from carved stone bricks, place in each position with the ultimate care. As Kirito stepped into the hut he drank in the sight of the lack of furniture. All there was a simple cloth in the middle of the room, a table shoved against the wall with vials and small glass jars containing god knows what. Behind at the far end of the house was an elevated place mat that he had no doubt served as the sleeping arrangements for their leader.

"You seek our service?" a voice whispered through the air; cold, ancient and powerful. He jumped when a figure stepped out from the shadows, empty eyes looking directly at him.

" _Eäøk œju ∂´∑xla ¬∆k∂åΩ∫_." The man who had escorted him spoke, their native language foreign.

" _Ωç˜µï œåßƒ∑ ¬ø˙ƒ∆ö_." Their leader replied, his words seemed to hold more grace and flow yet with the sternness of a severe master.

" _¡£ƒø¬ ∆ø˚∑é øµßœåç˚_."

"You seek knowledge?" their leader asks him once more, finishing their private onversation.

"Yes." Kirito decided to go with the generic voice command recognition.

"Then we must first see your action in battle." He stated, the AI programming recognizing that voice command, "Further up on this mountain there are a few _Trolls_ that have caused us much trouble in the past, remove them from our side and we will teach you."

Kirito nodded before standing and walking out. His eyes blinked against the sudden glare of light as he exited the cave, the sun was now high above his head burning down on the plane of this world. He was glad that in this world one could not get sunburnt. He began to track up the Mountain, following the Quest directives. His eyes taking in the scenery around him of endless grey and blue sky above him, the clouds were now swirling around him and leaving a small sense of chill in his bones. The white mist seemed to thicken around him, clothing him in soft clouds.

He had been walking for a while when suddenly a boulder flew and collided with him, knocking him back and taking out a quarter of his health. He reacted accordingly and immediately, flipping himself back despite the movement penalty and winced when he felt the bruise forming along his chest. Kirito dashed behind a rock, only to be knocked further back when another piece of stone shattered that shelter forcing him into the open. He flew up as he heard the whistling of stones flying at him, only to be launched forward when another boulder collided with him from the back, knocking him out of the sky and crashing into the ground. He groaned, feeling the pain along his back and front before gasping and rolling away at the sight of his health. It had dipped dangerously low into the red zone.

Reaching for his pouch Kirito pulled out a health potion and drank from it, sighing with relief when his health restored back slowly. His natural regeneration along with his health potion meant that soon he was back to full health. He glanced around confused to why he was hearing no sound what so ever, no movement. That is until he felt the ground rumble and saw a group of ten walking towards him. Each of them were huge standing over ten meters in height, their arms and legs were as thick as tree trunks with two horns following the curve of their face. Their beady eyes scanned the mountain face to look for their next meal and for a moment a flash of panic settled into Kirito's stomach. He watched as one of them punched their arm into the rock beneath them and pulled out a chunk, flinging it in the direction they assumed their meal was in.

Kirito could not deal with these, but what if he used them against one another. The Player grinned before suddenly buzzing out, his wings exploding him into action as he weaved out from his hiding place. The _Trolls_ roared at seeing him, immediately their fist flew around as they attempted to catch their meal. He quickly flew to the top of one _Trolls_ head, clinging on to the skin by stabbing both his blades into their flesh; he noticed that the double critical hit did nothing to even dent the _Trolls_ health. The other _Trolls_ began to throw stones at the one _Troll_ he had clung to, other fist collided into that one monster and soon that beast roared before exploding into a light of blue. Kirito then used the same strategy on the other remaining monsters till only one remained standing.

He quickly flew along the ground, spinning to the left as he neared the heel of the _Troll_ , slicing the tendon open and causing it to roar in pain. Turning to deliver a _Vertical Strike_ Kirito cut the other Achilles heel of the other leg and caused the _Troll_ to fall down onto its hands; its roar thundering through the mountain like the very voice of the gods. Kirito then sliced along the body, leaving multiple and various wounds that bled health every second, the passive and active of his _Bane of Apophis_ rendering the large health pool of the _Troll_ slowly but surely. Eventually he cut through the monsters wrist, causing the mob to fall face first into the rock, still. Quickly following his adventive Kirito spun down from the air, both his blades spinning as he cut into the back of the neck. The last few slivers of health disappearing and causing the giant _Troll_ to roar as it disintegrated into polygons of blue. Kirito was left in the aftermath of the storm of blue light, both his blades imbedded into the ground from his final attack. Pulling them up he sheathed them into his back with careful and practiced movements.

Slowly he walked back to the cave of _The Silent Stone_ , each step sending stabs of dull pain through his chest from the impact of those rocks. When he was slipping through the thin crack that would allow him access back into the rock dome he groaned at the tightness of the walk, winching whenever he felt the pressure building against him. Finally he made it, stumbling down and gasping for breath as he went to meet their leader. To say the leader of _The Silent Brethren_ was surprised would be an understatement; the AI was completely shocked almost as though the quest was not meant to be completed by one man.

"I have completed your quest." Kirito handed in the quest to the leader.

"Indeed." He mused, hands gripping the table before a sigh ripped through his body, "How did one man fight off _Trolls_ that have left us weary?"

"Magic." Kirito said, giving a slight grin.

"Nonetheless, you have done what we have asked, in turn we will now give you what you desire." A box with tattoo like instruments was placed before their leader, strange blue ink within a small bottle nested in the edge, "Choose _Adventurer_ the Runes for Life, Strength, Speed or Power. You will have seven runes engraved into you."

"Great leader give me two of speed, two of power, two of life and one of strength." Kirito informed him, bowing as he did so.

"It shall be as you requested. Please, undress." the AI's hand gestures caused Kirito to quickly un-equip his armor till nothing was left but his underwear.

The cold chill of the mountain buffeted against his pale exposed skin. The leader murmured under his breath as he took a brush and dipped it into the bottle. The brush caused the dark blue color to swirl, the thick paint clinging unto the brush. Quickly Kirito was painted upon. Each swirl and stroke caused him to shiver at the cool liquid. When each of the seven runes upon his body were colored the leader began to speak aloud in a voice that sent shivers down his spine more so than the icy paint.

" _úøå´k ƒ¬πßø∫∆ µ˜∫Ωç∂œ º¡£ª¢∆lko_!" his voice thundered and rang in the cave, echoing with authority and power. Blue light filled the hut as well as the dome, bright and blue as each Rune glowed upon their activation. Kirito could feel his stats increasing and felt a warmth flow through him like hot fire, "It is done."

The leader informed him, slowly he stood up. His fingers expertly opening the player menu and reequipping all his items as well as checking his stats. He whistled as he saw a new passive appear near his name, next to his stats.

[ _Runic Awakening:_

 _As a Player levels up their total statistics will be increased by 5% This percentage will increase by 1% per 5 levels.]_

Kirito whistled and paid attention as the leader began to speak again.

"I hope that this gift is suiting for the deed done." The said, bowing a little underneath that cowl.

"It is, thank you _Silent Brethren_." Kirito said bowing. He received their nods before walking away and as he walked out of the dome he looked upon the starry sky that now glowed above his head. Slowly he walked back down to his Kingdom; it would take a long time before he reached there again.

 **Hi everyone just a friendly Author Note here, sorry about the delay for this chapter; just want to say that further chapters will be slower due to my exams for university entry coming about. Sorry about that; thanks hope you enjoyed this and please leave a review =)**


	5. Chapter 5 - Day Out

**Chapter 5 – Day Out**

" _Each Kingdom has a store of NPC Soldiers that can be used on command by the Leader of that Kingdom. These Soldiers have levels that are directly correlated to the average level of the native players within the Kingdom As players have no level cap similarly the soldiers have no level cap either. However to outfit each NPC Soldier with equipment cost Col._ _Seven Kingdom Online: Defense_

Argo was absolutely bored. She was currently sitting in her own private chambers. The walls were made of wood and paper, paintings of great battles depicted all around her. With floors made of bamboo wood and layered with cloth to ensure comfort. A singular table sat in the corner of her room with an entire tea set stationed on it. She was currently wearing a red Jūnihitoe with the edges woven from gold. A single stash around her waist caused the clothing to hug the curve of her lithe body and pooled some fabric behind her. She was the very image of an empress. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled as she opened her PM box, casually scrolling through the multitudes of messages sent at her. It was then that an idea popped into her head.

Knowing the fact that her buffalos for bodyguards would be controlling and eyeing her like a piece of meat made her type furiously away into the holographic keyboard that appeared. This person was her key source of hope to escape from this boredom and sheer annoyance. She was running the country but yet at the same time her work caused her to lose out on what she loved to do best, information dealing. She was tired of it.

A ping that popped up caused her to smile as she read the message before that same smile broke out into a full beaming grin. She felt the relief washing over her like a cooling wave that soothed her soul; she would enjoy the day, anything was better than being stuck inside this room surrounded by testosterone filled idiots. Especially Shijon, he thought she didn't notice him staring at her body lustfully; nor did he think she saw the way he reacted whilst staring at her. However as much as she found it repulsive there was no way that she could remove him from his position, it would cause too much drama in the Court of [ _Seido_ ] which was beginning to form with the highest and most influential people taking their seats; it would also cause discord amongst the general public that the [ _Empress_ ] was firing someone for the mere act of staring. Such drama should not take place.

Argo quickly got changed, however instead of unequipping her items she merely stripped them off her body, letting the loose red dress fall from her shoulders and pool around her feet. Stepping over it Argo quickly opened her the large wardrobe she had and chose the leather armour suit. It would hug her body to ensure maximum mobility, the pouch at her waist was already filled with throwing knives and twin daggers sat on either side of her hips. The armour crisscrossed across her back and front with leather folded over one another and chained with small stripes of metal. Underlying that layer of leather was cloth that would serve to be a comfort layer and warmth insulator. All in all she was ready for some grinding, she grinned as her stats increased from those of the armour; she swept around with her knives; without her _Sword Skills_ and nodded with satisfaction to know that she hadn't lost her touch.

Each hunting knife was beautifully carved, curving so they looked like mini cutlasses. But she knew that they could inflict massive damage that would easily outstrip those of her brain dead guards. Each had a chain linking the hilts to her back, allowing her to throw it and then reel it.

A soft tapping against the paper walls notified her of someone trying to get her attention. She glanced around to the room, just to make sure that no one was eavesdropping on her, and pulled open her window; allowing a person clad entirely in black to swoop in as he landed with a soft thump. Twin blades were crossed over his back with a trench coat as dark as the blackest of nights; boots and clothing made entirely of sleek jet black.

"Hey." Kirito greeted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as a nervous tick.

She looked at him. The way his armour hugged his slim body, neat black hair hung from his head perfectly with strands stopping just before they covered his eyes. He had deep onyx eyes that right now screamed uncertainty. If she was honest he could easily pass as a girl and in her mind could even be said to be prettier than many other girls. She noticed the way he swayed a little, swapping weight from his left leg to his right in an almost casual manner.

"Kii-bou~" Argo grinned, jumping at him and snuggling into his chest while an arm waving and panicking Kirito yelled indignantly.

"Argo what are you doing?!" he hissed quietly as his arms began to push her away.

She pouted at him, looking into his own black eyes with her soft brown ones as she tried to draw him in, yet at the same time she was being drawn into those endless depth eyes. Those perfectly soft looking lips, the facial feature of this boy. He was her first friend in the Beta, first real friend she had ever made and instantly had felt a connection to him just on a friendship level.

"What? Can't I hug you?" she asked with a bambi like tear.

"Argo." He groaned, his eyes glancing around the room quickly, "Come on, we should go grind before time runs out."

"But … but Kii-bou!" she whined whilst he rolled his eyes.

"Come on." he turned around, placing one hand against the windows edge when suddenly she flung herself onto his back causing him to rock over the edge. Immediately his wings buzzed to life, beating powerfully to try and keep them afloat, "Argo!" he yelled as they plummeted down.

She could feel the thick scarabs on his back digging into her cheek, yet she did not mind. She could feel the long blades hidden within their sheaths pressing against her body like a lover.

"Yes Kii-bou?" he could almost hear the fluttering of her eyes as she replied.

"You are impossible." He groaned before twisting her off and carrying her with his arms instead. For a moment he had seen her eyes going wide as he dropped her, her own brown wings flaring to life with a flash of betrayal striking through her eyes. Then all that disappeared and was replaced with joy when he suddenly held her bridal style while his wings handled them down.

"You suck Kii-bou! You dropped me!" Argo stamped her foot once she touched the ground.

"You jumped on me!" Kirito waved his hands, "What else do you expect?"

"You can't just drop a girl Kii-bou, you'll never get a girlfriend at this rate." She teased him, turning around and strutting away with the sway of her hips.

"Argo." He groaned before letting out a sigh and shaking his head, this girl would be the death of him in sheer annoyance.

He grinned as an idea formed in his mind, tensing his legs he fluttered open his wings before blasting himself forward. He saw her back go tense for a second before her own wings flared to life and she was off. Kirito laughed as Argo swirled and ducked, twisting around a tree multiple times before shooting off leaving him dazzled. They ran through the low forest leaves, branches and greenery whipping around them in a haze. His eyes followed the trail of light left behind her, dazzling sparkles burning into his vision as sunlight caressed her silky wings.

Suddenly the world changed as they flew through the last of the trees, expanding below them was a raging river with a vertical cliff face of more than a hundred meters, spanning the chasm on the other side was another forest, yet those trees were larger, taller, lusher. Argo sped across without thought, laughing as she swan dove downward, skimming the cliff face as the winds howled around her like the wails of banshees. The exhilarating feeling of flying pumped blood around her body, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she strained her wings against the winds.

The water face was looming ever closer, devouring all of her world. Just before she hit the gushing waters surface she pulled open her wings, snapping her back and allowing her to fly just above the water. She could feel the cool liquid splashing against the front of her shirt, staining her skin cold. Argo could hear Kirito zooming up closer to her, she pumped more energy and speed into her wings forcing herself to fly at speeds she hardly ever flown before. Seeing some rocks that stuck out of the rushing waters surface like a small island she pushed off it when she came close, blasting herself up into the air.

How free she felt compared to being cooped up inside a small room.

Kirito was mesmerised as she twirled into the sky, water droplets like individual crystals flew off her in a dazzling sparkle underneath the suns light. He ignored the rock she had pushed off and instead flew towards the rock face and allowed his legs to push him off that, lunging into the air with the buzzing of his wings. He smiled as he heard her laugh, he knew she was lonely in both lives and making her smile put a soft one on his face. She buzzed off to the left, darting in a completely random pattern towards the other tree line across the chasm. His eyes rolled in their sockets as he sighed in exasperation. He blasted himself toward to those trees; flying into their shadows that were so thick it seemed almost like night. He stopped, hovering in the air as his eyes tried to pierce through the darkness. The trees were in neat rows, each standing erect like a soldier awaiting war. From behind him shafts of light softly touched the endless darkness that spanned out before him. It was like staring into the maw of a giant beast, dark, cold and eerie.

Out of nowhere Kirito felt something colide into his back, he turned around; arms reaching for his blades only to meet the smiling face of a rat as they collided into the ground. Kirito obviously taking the most damage.

"Argo. You suck." The dark teenage boy sighed as he let his headrest on the ground. The famous information broker was laying on his chest, curly auburn hair pooling. He could feel her warm and soft body pressing up against him, her perfect curves seductive. Her laughter resonated through him even as he lay on the ground.

She grinned as he mumbled something, "What was that Kii-bou?"

"I said you're going to be the death of me." He groaned audibly.

Finally she got off him, standing up and staring into the dark forest as Kirito slowly got to his feet.

"Kii-bou." Her voice trailed off as her eyes adjusted to the endless darkness, "Want to go exploring?"

"Argo … no!" he shouted, trying to grab her hands a second too late as her brown wings exploded into action and propelled her forward into the forest. He jumped after her, black wings coming to life as he called upon them. He followed her, watching their surroundings as they travelled into uncharted territory and something that didn't seem to have ever appeared in the Beta stage.

The air seemed to be getting colder and the world seemed to get darker, everything was bleached of its colour leaving nothing but an endless grey world cloaked in black. He looked down as they flew, the ground was perfectly flat without any rocks or logs displaced anywhere, the only resident on the ground were fallen leaves in their thousands. This strange order and environment sent warning messages flying through his mind ; something was not right.

"Argo. Stop." His voice, even in the whisper that he spoke, resounded like thunder in the absolute silence of this forest. That's when he saw something in the corner of his view change.

[ _Silent Forest_ ]

He beckoned to it with his eyes to open and read as the text was written before his very eyes.

[ _This is the place of nightmares, a forest corrupted with the air of the Abyss. Monsters large enough to destroy whole islands reside within this Forest. All adventurers beware; you are stepping into the mouth of Hell itself._ ]

His eyes widened as they finished those words, his head snapped up as he propelled himself forward with even more force, grabbing Argo's arm and stopping her from going forward.

"Kii-bou~ you caught me." She grinned, placing a sly hand on his chest, "What are you going to do to me now?" she whispered into his ear, pressing her body up against his.

"Argo, read the notification in your HUD." He said quickly, his eyes darting around as he felt a strange rustling in the wind, "We're in the dangerous zone here." He looked behind them, the light already dimming in the distance.

"Kii-bou behind you!" Argo shouted, immediately Kirito let his wings drop, his entire body alongside with Argo's falling towards the forest floor before his wings flared and he dashed away once more. His heart thudded within his chest as he watched a shadow flare above him, a screech ripping the world around.

"What was that?!" Kirito yelled above the sound of rushing wind above him, his body skimming the ground as he attempted to fly away from such a large beast. From the air above them he could see, and feel, a continuous black body rushing past.

"Kii-bou this is a [ _Hell Zone_ ]!" her voice cut through the wind, barely, and nearly made him falter.

[ _Hell Zones_ ] were famous during the Beta for being the hardest area of mobs in the game. they were spread across the world like children toys but had beast that came from the stuff of nightmares. It was well known that entire raid parties, even if they were adequately prepared, could be wiped in the matter of minutes. Within them monsters beyond strengths of this world lingered, sometimes you would face an army in the thousands, others you would fight against a leviathan that made your world seem like a drop in the ocean; other times you would fight both. But their reward was great, only in these zones could a person find a weapon ranked at an [ _Exotic_ ] level. These equipment's greatly boosted a person stats and even had elemental uses inside of them as well as unique _Sword Skills_.

"You're kidding me …" Kirito groaned, "We're only, at best, low 20's; this thing is way above our level."

"Look out!" Argo yelled as the head snapped back at them; Kirito pumped his wings and forced them to fly up, his eyes glancing behind him before immediately snapping forward again. Its head was entirely black and easily the size of a bus with sharp teeth made from the shadows. Purple light emanated from within its mouth with a single violet eye that stared eerily at them. He growled.

"Argo, get out of my arms. We can't out run this thing; only option we have left is to take it down or be taken down." He took a sharp turn around a tree, forcing the larger creature to continue on past them due to its large size. He stopped them on a tree branch, hearing the howling of wind as the large body ripped past them, "Ready Argo?" he asked, unsheathing both his swords.

"Always Kii-bou." She said grinning, her throwing knives in her palm.

He took a few steps before jumping off the edge of the branch, his black wings flaring to life as his twin swords glowed in the darkness. On poison green whilst the other jet black with streaks of crimson. His _Sword Skills_ carried him across the gap; behind him he could hear the sharp whistling as Argo's knives flew true with their brown glow. All the while the large head of the beast roared at them, its mouth opened to unleash a bright brilliant light of purple in their faces.

Their forces collided with enough power that the forest shook as the might of two great strengths met in a fight.

The monster had a huge _Health_ pool and what looked like no _Mana_ at all. Kirito grinned as his blades cut into the monsters nose, the green hue in the _Health Circle_ on its black ensured him the corroding effect of his blade. They would win; they had to.


	6. Chapter 6 - Giants of the Forest

**AUTHORS APOLOGY: Hey guys sorry for not updating in ages, I was doing a Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth With A Mission Perth (YWAM) and so I was away for 6 months. Anyway I will attempt to write more before I return to YWAM again in October. Sorry again :c**

 **Chapter 6 - Giants of the Forest**

" _The various different [Sword Skills] have a cooldown period after their use. During this cooldown period the player will be paralysed, this is called the Cooldown Delay Effect. However there is a bug, or technique, where one can ignore such an effect by chaining another [Sword Skill] just before the current one finishes." - Seven Kingdoms Online: Sword Skills_

The moment euphoria of taking on such a beast passed Kirito felt a sense of fear slamming into his mind. He flew upwards with all the strength his wings had to offer, barely escaping the passing head of the beast, however the sheer wind from its movement was more than enough to blast him away like a pesky fly. His eyes peered at the rushing darkness and immediately went to scan for the name of such an opponent as this. Yet he was forced to re-engage as he saw the flashing light of brown and green splashing against the dark snake like creature. It's enormous black body cloaked in dark fog that hugged its very curves like a second skin; he would not let Argo faced this by herself. He flung himself forward, both blades glowing as they imbedded into the skin of the monster, which caused him then to suddenly be flying at speeds impossible for players to get up to by themselves. He could hear nothing but the screaming of wind as it whipped around him. Thinking desperately Kirito raised one blade before stabbing it down with the use of a _Sword Skill_ , the glowing light disappearing into the black fog. Already the strange black mist seemed to be curling around the black Seidonian and he could feel his [ _Health_ ] being leached away. He ripped both his blades out and immediately he was flung back, spiralling head over heels whilst watching a very distorting world, before finally slamming into a tree hard enough that his [ _Health_ ] dropped down dangerously low.

Swinging himself unto a tree branch he uncorked a vial of red liquid from within his satchel before downing it, watching out the corner of his eye as the red swirling bar that signified how much damage he could take refilled itself. A sudden fluttering of brown pixel lights across the back of the monster revealed that Argo was still attacking, he launched himself forward once more as he flew closer towards where Argo was. He looked on with eyes of absolute wonder. The supposedly shrewd ex-information dealer was hovering just outside of the buffeting winds, one hunting knife embedded in a tree whilst the chains attached to it wrapped around the trunk like a snake's coil. Her other hunting blade flashed various colors as she swung them with skill and precision through the chain, each slash actually making it through the rushing winds due to use of _Sword Skills_. It was only the nearly magical light the glowed forth from her weapon that allowed it to get past the winds, but even then he could see that the hunting knife barely even scraped deeper than the surface of its tough skin.

Kirito's eyes glanced over quickly to the giant swirling [ _Health Pool_ ] on the monsters back; this truly was a monster amongst monsters, even in the realm of fantasy and games. The enormous red swirling pool, even with the slightest of green tinges, was still there. Nothing, even their most powerful attacks, was getting through this beast defence. They were probably inflicting something like a single point of damage.

"Kirito …" Argo breathed as he appeared next to her, his blade digging into the trunk of the large tree as well. He noticed the lack of his nickname and flinched a little, if even she was getting serious that means this was certainly bad.

However he did not reply, opting to instead grimly stare as the body finally passed by them; watching as the winds died down and the black mass disappearing into further darkness. But just as the winds died down, they began to pick up once more.

"Move Argo!" Kirito roared as he dove off the tree, flying straight up, just in time the large maw crushed the giant tree leaving nothing but splinters flying throughout the air. He let out a breath as a brown pixel trail appeared flying past, flashes of red indicated she was once again attacking. He took in a deep breath before dashing forward himself, as he neared the wind barrier he forced himself through by the use of _Sword Skill_ , letting himself flow through the endless slashes, stabs and slices that he was throwing out. Eventually he stopped, letting the wind blow him away as the whipping air slowly chipped away at his health. Flipping open the satchel pouch around his waist he dug his hands in and grabbed another [ _Health Potion_ ] before downing it, allowing his pulsing red health to slowly heal back.

Desperation began to settle into the two gamers, the swirling red pool never seeming to diminish at the relentless attacks of the two fighters. He opened his inventory with the slight manipulation of his fingers, flying across the empty air in front of him as he looked at it. Quickly he took note of his remaining [ _Health Potions_ ] and grimaced, they would never be able to kill this beast. Kirito shook his head, glancing over to the fighting form of Argo as she whirled her two flying blades like an expert, he watched as the colors of green swung in a huge arc before descending like lightning and biting into the skin of the beast. He watched as he dashed forward, another arc of blue like rain as it fell from the sky. She was zipping all across the place, flinging out one blade to catch into a tree before swinging in that direction whilst cutting with the other. Argo zipped around like an expert acrobat, her blades flying everywhere as they carved a shallow path along the body of the beast.

He leapt forward again, it seemed like a futile circuit of dashing forward and slashing only to retreat before downing another potion. There was no real strategy or skill for this fight, simply stay alive and damage it as much as possible. There was no flashy maneuvers or flamboyant moves but instead quick executions with grim faces as the reality of what they were facing begin to stack up against their faces. Still Kirito allowed his beta-tester blade to glow red before carving three strikes into the hard skin of the beast before finally sinking in through the center. A single thought flurried through his mind and [ _Bane of Apophis_ ] activated. Toxic green filling up those grooves, letting up small whiffs of light smoke like acid eating through metal. Kirito sliced across the shooting body of the beast, his other blade imbedded into its skin whilst he stood; one hand holding tight to his blade. He looked up, watching green tinges getting more and more transfused into the red and over taking it. Maybe just maybe, they could do it; after all if an entire [ _Health Pool_ ] was turn into poison the body must start having Damage Over Time right?

"Argo!" he screamed, flying to where she was and shoving her out of the way, outstretched hands colliding into her side as he spun, barely dodging the rising body of the beast that would have no doubt killed both of them from the simply collision as well as impact force behind it. He turned around, twin swords ablaze as he dashed forward again; the _Sword Skill_ already in motion by the time he reached the mob. His heart thudded in his chest, anger clouding his vision. Argo could've died, deceased, no more. She could have disappeared from his life and he would never again be able to talk to her, never be able to follow up on his promise to meet her in real life despite her protest; never be able to hear her tease him or feel the joy that fluttered within his heart whenever she messaged him. He shook away those feelings as he tried to focus on the fight in front of him, but he knew that around his heart there was still a chain clinging around him that made him fearful for her survival.

Out of the corner of his eye, or rather the HUD that made up his view, twin arcs of blinding light slammed into the thick skin of the monster, chains leashed against the rushing body. Kirito looked up and finally saw the white name hovering above the beast head. [ _Zakvasha, The Shadow Snake_ ]. He grimaced, the beta-testers had hardly any information on these monsters from [ _Hell Zones_ ], they were simply too diverse and too powerful to accurately and consistently measure and check. No data could actually be gleaned from them because each version was different, they could look the same, move the same, feel the same but each had different strengths and weaknesses. Ignoring such depressing thoughts Kirito jumped up, leaping off the back of the beast and letting the wind carry him away; he swung his swords, catching them against two thick branches and halting his flight. Ripping them out he barrelled forwards once more, twirling in mid air as his blades flashed crimson red, trails of blood light following as he carved a path through the winds. They splashed against the black skin and mist, blowing away the darkness and replacing it for the eerie glow of crimson light bathing the area around its attacker.

Spinning in a full circle and using the spin to gather momentum and power, his blades changed from red to grass green; the light color contrasting the darkness like a sore thumb. Another flash of orange passed by him, slicing and dragging itself across the body of [ _Zakvasha_ ]. The [ _Health Pool_ ] had begun to decrease an incredibly small amount, like as though a drop had escaped the large gathering. Brown pixelated light slowly disappeared as Argo swung away, her twin hunting blades swirling and twirling, never once staying still as they whipped out, gouging out barks from the tree as well as scratching the mob. Suddenly a thunderous crash could be heard, the monsters body jerked and Kirito activated one last _Sword Skill_ and cut across the skin before he jumped off, wings ablaze as they fought to keep him afloat.

"What was that Kii-bou?" Argo asked, her knives held within her hands, chains dangling in the air.

He had no answer to that, the enormous body of [ _Zakvasha_ ] had crashed into the ground, black fog that had hugged its flesh gone and all that was left was the dark scales and skin that made up its outer armor. The dirt had accommodated to the sudden intrusion, a deep groove within the earth had allowed for more than a quarter of the mobs height to be sunken into the ground. Kirito turned his head to the right, staring down what looked like never ending darkness as the mobs body continued on far into what could not be seen. Turning to the left he paused, eyes wide in fear, and knowing Argo she probably looked the same.

What looked like a giant fist had descended from the sky and absolutely pulverized the the snake's head leaving nothing but pixels that swirled away, slowly fading. Already they could see the decomposing of the mobs body, it was starting to get lighter and glowed, flakes of pixels detaching themselves from the main body into the air before disappearing. The two watched, frozen in shock, as the hand slowly retracted itself from the ground, nothing was left but a crater, then a voice thundered through the air like the very sound of nature as it talked to them.

"What do we have here? Mortals?" a voice that seemed to be coming from every direction asked, "I have not seen mortals since the Immortals fell from the sky like bolts of lightning and into the Earth itself, cast out from the Heavenly Divine Realms for transcending the will of the Architect. How interesting." it tilted its head, the sound of a thousand tonnes of stone moving was like crackling thunder rolling across the small clearing.

Kirito readied his blades, holding them out whilst standing in front of Argo on the large branch they had found themselves perched upon. Argo had loosen her hold upon her knives, holding the chains and allowing the blades to swing gently forward and back. A giant head suddenly descended from the high dark nothingness that spanned above the two players, the ground shook and rolled making it look more like waves in the sea than solid ground. A mountain suddenly appeared in front of them, one that descended from the sky. Yet upon it were two pits filled with glowing luminescent orange crystals. From their position on the tree they were just on its eye level, obviously accommodated towards them by the monster itself. It's head was opened, high above them with the dim glow of pulsing orange crystals, smooth rock overlapping each other like thick tough scales. It was a colossal giant made from the very rock underneath the ground, a mob that no doubt could level entire armies with nothing more than sheer power. The Black Swordsman looked at the name that appeared above this monster [ _Helikon, Ourea of the Mountains_ ]. He gulped, a reference to the Greek Primordials meant that this guy would be way out of their league; much too powerful to even attempt fighting.

"What are you doing here adventurers?" the voice was deep with a gravel like quality; whispers of power echoing as they were intertwined with its voice, "What are you doing trespassing my territory?" the question hung heavily in the air with a veiled threat barely visible below the surface, it did seem more like an inquiry than a demand.

"We stumbled across here on accident." Kirito spoke up, replying to the beings question. His grip tightening around his blade handles, wings tensed and ready to explode into action within a milisecond. If they died here they would die permanently; it was safe to assume the damage this monster dealt would far exceed the ability for them to survive through [ _Final Stand_ ], "We did not mean to trespass upon your territory."his throat felt dry and parched, swallowing a glob of saliva, he winched a little as the sharp stabs of a dry throat pierced his nerves.

Bellowing laughter filled the clearing, the maw of the giant gaping wide with glowing orange light pulsing from within. Sharp teeth made of hardened stone and rock littering its mouth like the demented view of a demon.

"Adventurer you came into this forest and attacked [ _Zakvasha_ ], a beast that if not contained by the forest and its ancient powers could level your entire city, because you stumbled here by accident?" A small chuckle washed over them, the being was simply amused at their foolishness and head hardiness, "Foolish mortals, why would you do such a thing?"

"It was not by choice, we did not realize where we had entered until it was too late." he replied back to the supposed Primordial. The giant simply shook its head letting the sound of loud cracks rip through the air before it replied to him, seemingly ignoring everything that had been said previously. The ground shook as its right hand was raised into the air, a single sharp large finger filled their vision and world before it spoke once more regard them.

"I shall give you both a gift, for the amusement you have brought to me." it chuckled, its perspective warped by the millennia of age as it saw everything like little children playing with their toys.

Kirito looked over to Argo with shock filling his eyes, a grin threatening to split his face at the thought of an Ancient Class weapon; he could see the same excitement reflecting in her eyes, this would be truly some information worth more than its weight in Col. This was something out of the norm, [ _Outer Hell Zone_ ] areas should not be giving out Ancient Class weapons like this.

"For you boy I give you this,"

Kirito watched as an orange crystal, very much like the one seen across the body of Helikon, slowly speared its way forth from the fingertip of the giant; pushing past dirt and stone to slowly form a crystal that was the same length as from his wrist to the tip of his middle finger. Then wood grew forth from the tree trunk of the great tall tree's branches which they were standing upon.

It grew into a strand that slowly twirled itself around the crystal, this was repeated over and over again until soon all that was there was a handle made complete out of soft dark brown wood. It was long enough for a single handed grip and when it was levitated into his hands it was warm to touch, he could feel the pulsing of the crystal underneath him. Suddenly lines of orange appeared, following the grooves and creases in the handle before completing a huge circuit around the entire hilt. Kirito nearly dropped the sword when orange crystals started to poke out of the wooden hilt, both him and Argo watched in awe as the crystals kept growing over one another until they formed a perfect leaf shaped blade created entirely out of orange crystals that had fitted together perfectly. As if that was not enough what followed shocked them even more as the crystals then began to glow bright orange, lightning up the tree branch which they stood upon. It got to the point where it seemed like the blade was actually made out of complete orange wisp that had the soft licks of fog and light dancing around the blade. His eyes glanced over to the notification that popped up even as the giant began to speak once more.

"The [ _Blade of Gaia_ ] a powerful blade, enhanced by the properties of the [ _Essence Crystal_ ] which I have placed within from myself. It shall serve you well adventurer; this is my thanks to you for the amusement you have brought. No other blade like this has ever been made from my Essence, treasure it mortal." The finger shifted to Argo, but before he listened in Kirito's eyes quickly flashed across the writing on the pop up notification.

[ _ **Taldariq, Blade of the Earth**_ ]

[ _A blade made from the Essence Crystal of Helikon. It is incredibly durable and has various unique passives and actives that are only capable of being used when this sword is given as a gift by Helikon. Note also that due to the lack of any crossguard this blade requires great skill to use and even greater skill to master. It does have one advantage though, that being that Sword Skills no longer have their tell tale signifying colors shown, all moves will be orange._ ]

 _ **STATS**_ _:_

 _Sharpness_ _: 5000 (including_ _Sharpened Blade_ _)_

 _Hardness_ _: Unbreakable_

 _Balance_ _: 100/100_

 _Durability_ _: Unbreakable_

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Sharpened Blade_ _: Infused with the Essence of a Primordial this blade is capable of cutting through pretty much any material in this world. This gives the weapon +1000% sharpness and is unbreakable._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Psionic Manifestation_ _: There is a direct link to the blades power, speed, sharpness and durability, from the wielders emotions and will. This means that if rage over takes the wielder both power and speed will most likely be increased whilst in comparison if peace is in mind then all aspects of the blade are buffed._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Primordials Protection_ _: Due to the use of Primordial Essence this gives the blade the property to block, reflect, cut or even absorb any elemental or otherwise seemingly magical attacks._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Storage_ _: Every attack, blade absorbed, element touched, reflected or otherwise absorbed, is stored within the blade. Meaning if someone attacked with a three strike Sword Skill, Taldariq would store up the power of three strikes._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Soul Eater_ _(V): Allows the blade to absorb the essence of any enemy slain. After every 100 enemies killed in combat the wielder is allowed to add +10 points to any of the weapons attributes. However when a boss of any kind is slain with this weapon it gives the wielder immediately +30 points to add to any weapon attribute as well as 20 souls to the count. Elite monsters will give the blade 10 souls to the count._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Gaia's Embrace_ _: As the Earth swallows and absorbs all, likewise this blade can absorb any other weapon, their unique abilities and passives and add it to the blade. To counterfeit this ability the weapon starts with very low stats. Unable to be used alongside Sword Skills. These absorbed stats are taken in by a specific percentage based off level. No cooldown to this ability, but can only be used on a weapon in possession of character._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Double Blade_ _: (Toggle) When flicked in the right direction as well as with the right thought commands, a secondary blade will appear from the other end of Taldariqs hilt. This also has a secondary use that when one blade is activated it will cause each swing to have an additional invisible attack that follows up after the blade in one second. Creates whole new Sword Skill selection to choose from._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Release_ _: (Toggle) This enables the user to release everything that the blade had absorbed in its_ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _: Storage. The wielder can control what comes out and how much comes out. Usable alongside Sword Skills._ ]

His eyes went wide, this blade was definitely over powered, however if this was only meant to be found later on in the game then these _Unique Passives_ and _Unique Actives_ would not be that strong due to the fact that slowly people would have gear that nullifies negative statuses or strange weapons of their own. Eventually what use to be once rare would become common and what was once exotic would start to become more seen and less rare. But at his level this blade would almost make him a god. It would be able to absorb both blades that he had gained so far adding their own quirks and stats to this blade; Kirito smiled, maybe with this, just maybe, they could return to the real world. He looked over just as the giant began talking once more.

"To you girl I give you this. Twin gauntlet blades crafted straight from [ _Helikon Essence Crystal_ ]." They were made from the same tree wood, however instead of creating a hilt these were what looked like an arm guard made from dark brown wood. It fitted perfectly along her forearms whilst the orange [ _Helikon Essence Crystal_ ] sat snugly in the middle, wooden vines twining themselves over the smooth crystal edge. She watched in awe as orange shards of crystals slowly pieced themselves together forth from the wooden edge. They slowly linked together, like the movement of someone who had lived thousands of years and knows not what mere minutes mean. When they completed, twin short blades shaped like elongated ovals, extended forth from her forearm guards before blazing neon orange. It shone and soon what looked like a solid shaped swirling orange color light stood in its place. Wisp flickering off it like the dancing of flames, it looked the exact same like Kirito's blade. He observed as Argo's eyes widened and subsequently mouth dropping like a little 'o' when she read the pop-up notification.

"These are my gifts to you, now disappear mortals. Those of these forest do not take kindly to such weak morsels in their midst." The voice grumbled like a mountain moving across the land, the very earth shaking as it began to get up and move away. Despite the very hard ground underneath them rolling like the sea as craters were punched into it over and over again, Kirito and Argo stayed on that one tree brunch. Shock and complete awe freezing them in their spot. Both watched as the pulsing orange slowly disappeared back into the endless black of the deep forest; how lucky they had been to stumble across a neutral mob, which saved them nonetheless, from a monstrosity. The [ _Shadow Snake_ ] they had been fighting would have had killed them eventually, the winds whipping around it chipping away their health like crazy. It seems like luck was on their side this time but next time he doubted they would be this lucky. However with the items they gained from both the Primordial, loot from the boss's death, last hit bonuses and experienced gained, they just might be strong enough to begin taking on pretty much any monster being thrown at them outside of world bosses and these [ _Hell Zones_ ].

Kirito swiped down with his finger, opening the character menu in the middle of the air in front of him. His eyes widened again at the sight of his new level and items gained from the raid boss. A small chuckle escaped his lips, with this there was no doubt that Kirito and Argo were the most powerful players in the world at the moment, probably for a long time too. With this they were far ahead in terms of level and equipment and could essentially be gods to the normal players.

They wouldn't need to grind, or rather they couldn't grind because the [ _Experience_ ] that normal mobs around [ _Seido_ ] would give them was worthless. It would do nothing now. The exponential increase for [ _Experience_ ] was incredibly steep with certain levels almost doubling the previous. For example when players crossed the Level 100 boundary before crossing into Level 101 there is a need for almost multiplying the amount of [ _Experienced_ ] needed in Level 99 by ten times. Meaning that if, theoretically, the amount needed for Level 99 to Level 100 was 596,785 [ _Experience Points_ ] then from getting from Level 100 to Level 101 there would be a 5,967,850 [ _Experience Points_ ] limit. But that was for much later, looking at his own level Kirito quickly shook his head to check it again.

He was Level 331 and on the cusp of leveling up to Level 332. This was purely from defeating [ _Zakvasha, The Shadow Snake_ ], a mere mob of the [ _Hell Zone_ ], not even a boss that had to be carefully beaten over the span of days with strategies thought up with fail safes within fail safes, not one that required ingenuity of the highest degree. It wouldn't be any push over, but it would be easy pickings for teams that were above Level 400; furthermore this was the [ _Outer Hell Zone_ ] area too, meaning that they were a lot weaker than anything from the center and core. Argo would probably be around the same level meaning that as of current they were about 306 levels ahead of everyone; that is a lot of points between them. But aside from those points that they had gained they were also now very very rich in the amount of Col given to them. It was ridiculous how much money they had. Kirito could probably buy the entire [ _Seido_ _Court_ ] over a few times, enough to throw his weight around for the higher influencing people of their nation. Shaking his head Kirito thanked whatever higher being there was for the luck he and Argo had today.

Swiping downwards towards his inventory Kirito took stock of the items gained from killing the mob; and once more he thanked the [ _Random Number Generator_ ] for his luck. The [ _Shadow Snake_ ] that they had fought was not a boss by any means, it was simply a mob; and yet it had dropped items that came only second to other [ _Hell Zone_ ] items dropped by bosses. The drops given to him essentially caused an entire wardrobe change when it came down to items for equipment; and as if to put the cherry on top of the cake all of them were affiliated to darkness and were colored black and were part of the same set. It was as if the creator of this game, the one who put them into this hell hole, was giving him an early Christmas present to make up for the fact that he would be missing one with his family. Or perhaps it was a reward for them managing to do it so early; who knows. Even more amazing is that they were all Ancient Class level.

[ _ **Terror Mask of the Teldazikim**_ ]

[ _The face mask of those who followed the ways of the shadow. These were the sights of many last saw, the sight that was imagined whenever one mentioned death and the sight that many parents used to bring their children into line; it is a sight that many do not see until battle arrives or assassination was required._ ]

 _ **STATS**_ _:_

 _Defense_ _: 50,00_

 _Type_ _: Medium - Kalinian Metal_

 _Hardness_ _: Unbreakable (Cosmetic)_

 _Durability_ _: Unbreakable (Cosmetic)_

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Terror from the Darkness_ _: The mere sight of this mask is enough to cause large area of effect debuffs that will cripple most enemies. However the limit is that those debuffs must be selected before entering battle, meaning that the wearer must choose what sort of debuff they are about to inflict upon their prey. This can be done to many people, or it can be specifically aimed at few which will increase the potency of the debuff._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVES**_ _:_ _Immunity of the Mind_ _: Illusions will not work against the wearer, neither will any sort of mind trick or debuffs of horror or fear. Also darkness will hold no secret to the wearer, giving them perfect vision in the darkness. However this even goes further than just the mind and even protects the user from poisons of all kind._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Reader of Minds_ _: Allows user to rip through an opponent's mind, resulting in lower mental defence which first allows greater effects of mental debuffs. Then proceeds to allow the user to see into the mind of target and thus reading their every move before they make it; this reads both conscious and unconscious thoughts meaning that muscle memory is also read. This can only be done to one target at a time and quickly drains mental energy thus resulting in fatigue quicker._ ]

A pure pitch black mask descended over Kirito's face, it had two thin eye sockets that revealed dark green flame like flickering as they licked outside of the eye holes. However it completed covered his face, leaving no opening for his mouth and even none for his nose. It made him look like the stuff of nightmares, a being created from darkness and shadows with such unnatural elegance to its face that it would cause all who stared at it to freeze in fear. The [ _Terror Mask of Teldazikim_ ] was perfect for the fighting style that Kirito had, it also empowered him far beyond anything else; already he could feel himself thinking sharper and quicker with enhanced vision. He could see the swirling pattern of the tree trunk across from them and it was a good twenty-five meters away. Ridiculous sort of power up this gave him.

[ _ **Unhittable Armor of the Teldazikim**_ ]

[ _An armor created long ago by a sect of warriors known as the 'Followers of Shadows'. It has been enhanced by runic magic power long forgotten and is the last of its kind._ ]

 _ **STATS:**_

 _Defence_ _: 500,000_

 _Type_ _: Medium - Kalinian Metal_

 _Hardness_ _: 85/100_

 _Durability_ _: 50,000/50,000_

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Illusion of Mirages_ _: Created in the forges of an ancient civilization this armor makes the wearer blurry. No matter how hard one concentrates or stares at the user they will remain a blurry image that is hard to hit and hard to predict the movements of. It affects everyone unless stated otherwise._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Protection of Many_ _: Having the multiple arcane runes written into it allows any debuff that attempts to attach itself to the wearer have a 50% chance to simply be negated with 5% being lost for every 10 level difference upwards. Furthermore any debuff or negative status effect that lands on the wearer is cut down in its potency by 50%, meaning that duration, damage and seriousness of effect are all cut down._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Walk of the Shadows_ _: Enables wearer to suddenly disappear in an explosion of darkness only to appear somewhere else. However the location has to be in sight and is a combat ability, meaning it only activates when it notices the wearer entering battle or actively moving to fight. This has a cooldown of one second and ten charges before needing a thirty minute recharging rate. Each charge recharges at three minutes._ ]

The armor that appeared fitted perfectly across Kirito's body. It was made out of black metal that complete covered his chest, torso, back as well as shoulders. Made from two pieces the cosmetics of this armor was by far the most amazing thing Kirito had ever seen; one piece form the inner layer of the armor, hugging his body, whilst the other piece formed the outer layer which sat from his shoulders down to about the end of his ribs. Various circles could be seen drawn upon the armor, each in parallel with another on the opposite side and within each were runes that had been carved into each circle. Words of the ancient civilizations these runes suddenly blazed to life, glowing solid Void green as some sort of substance filled in the grooves. He could hardly feel the weight of this armor, and already he felt more powerful than anything else in the world.

[ _ **Runic Belt of the Teldazikim**_ ]

[ _The belt that was essential for every battle that its user had. It was created and purposed by the Followers of Shadows long ago from a different time and civilization as an ultimate form of protection towards their own body without the need of losing an arm to holding up a shield._ ]

 _ **STATS**_ _:_

 _Defense_ _: 100,000_

 _Type_ _: Medium - Kalinian Metal_

 _Hardness_ _: Unbreakable (Cosmetic)_

 _Durability_ _: Unbreakable (Cosmetic)_

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Shield of the Kahala_ _: There is an invisible force field that holds itself about two inches away from the players in a oval dome around them. This will stop all melee weapons, projectiles and even elemental attacks as well as any character attempting to touch the player. It can be worn down and depleted but will be restored after a short while from being used. This shield takes damage as though that blade would have struck the user calculating the normal way, it also stops any Sword Skill in use and causes a rebound shock that does 100% of the damage that would have been dealt to the shield if there had been no defence._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Agility of Shadows_ _: Passively increases wearer's agility by 500%._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Marking of Home_ _: This allows the wearer to mark one specific spot with the same rune as written upon it that will allow the user to teleport themselves back to said specific location upon will, or when wearer's_ [ _Health_ ] _is depleted into nothing and Final Stand activates. This cannot be used within_ [ _Boss Rooms_ ] _nor in any_ [ _Hell Zone_ ]. _It also cannot be used in any battle ground, only being able to mark one safe zone. This has a one day cooldown._ ]

A thick belt that had three runes carved into it, the biggest in the center of the belt. It looked like a 'Y' with an upside down 'v' stuck in between the two pronged forks of the 'Y'. It was a thick belt that sat snugly upon his waist, fitting in easily with the armor that was already in place and covered more than half of the inner layer armor around his stomach. Suddenly Kirito felt the air around him buzz before an explosion of blue hexagons appeared around him, shimmering powerfully as they blazed against the world. Slowly they faded, but in his HUD Kirito suddenly saw a new pool. Light blue in color the name popped up as he looked at it [ _Shield Pool_ ]. A grin split across his face before his fingers flew across the screen to equip the next item.

[ _ **Dark Pants of the Teldazikim**_ ]

[ _Special pants made out of a specific material that allows for absolute movement and freedom of agility but at the same time protects the user from the cold and retains both cool and heat perfectly. A part of the uniform of the Teldazikim. However despite its flexibility it is also strong enough and hard enough to turn away blows._ ]

 _ **STATS**_ _:_

 _Defense_ _: 200,000_

 _Type_ _: Medium - Kalinian Metal_

 _Hardness_ _: 80/100_

 _Durability_ _: 50,000/50,000_

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Empowering of the Teldazikim_ _: Strengthen user's legs resulting in increase of speed and agility as well as empowering any attacks thus also increasing power and consequently damage; if the blow connects._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Conservation of Energy_ _: Allows the user to retain their energy resulting in less being used up for all activities and even refunding some of the energy thus keeping fatigue at bay for a longer period of time._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Wraith of the Shadows_ _: This allows the wearer to turn intangible, all weapons swung at it will pass through as if it was air, yet a downside to this is that the user will also be intangible. However this ability also heals the wearer from all wounds, debuffs and fatigue. It does this by transferring all negative effects from the wearer to the closest person to the user. This skill has a twenty minute cooldown._ ]

Black long pants that hugged the very curves of his legs allowing maximum freedom of movement whilst at the same time, as according to the stats of this item, being a powerful defensive item. He could feel his agility just increasing, already there was a searing energy inside of his legs to move, to merge with the shadows and to fly with nothing more than leaps that would carry him a long distance. These were absolutely empowering.

[ _ **Void Boots of the Teldazikim**_ ]

[ _Boots created from sturdy material only found within the Realm of Nothingness that is beyond this world. Crafted in the heat of the mouth of a volcano these boots are tougher than most materials known to the world_.]

 _ **STATS**_ _:_

 _Defense_ _: 100,000_

 _Type_ _: Medium - Kalinian Metal_

 _Hardness_ _: 75/100_

 _Durability_ _: 50,000/50,000_

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVES**_ _:_ _Agility of Nothing_ _: This passive allows the user to walk with absolute silence, meaning that nothing can be heard whilst wearing these boots; unless the sound is so loud that nothing can cloak it. This is mainly for walking across things such as dry leaves or twigs, or snow. However whilst this allows the user to walk without being heard it does not mean that evidence of the wielders presence is hid. It does not hide footprints nor tracks created by the user._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVES**_ _:_ _Jump of Nothing_ _: A passive that allows the user to jump extremely powerfully and quickly as long as one feet is touching solid ground. This essentially means they can become a living pinball if they so choose, dashing from ground to wall to ceiling before arriving back. They can do this indefinitely with the only drawback being high mental fatigue._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE:**_ _Speed of Nothing_ _: Wielder is given the choice of selecting multiple opponents before moving towards each of them in sequence with such speeds that the user seems to turn invisible until they reappear after moving. This can also be done towards one person but has the limit of seven targets. If chosen towards one target it allows the user to select various positions around that one target. This ability has a twenty minute cooldown._ ]

Pitch jet black armor boots that were made out of metal formed around his legs. They were made from three distinct layers, the first and most inner layer was made out of a soft material that allowed his feet to be cushioned. The second and middle layer was made from what looked like a sheen of metal that hugged his feet and lower calf to protect them from any harm. The last and outermost layer was formed from thick sheets of metal folded over one another constantly creating grooves and swirls along the boots in a very specific swirling pattern. However despite this being made of metal there was almost no weight to the armor itself, Kirito felt as light as a feather.

[ _ **Reavers Arm Guard of the Teldazikim**_ ]

[ _Created by the Teldazikim as a way of blocking an attack even if their shields go down without having to sacrifice the need to hold a shield, this piece of equipment is something that no one else can replicate._ ]

 _ **STATS**_ _:_

 _Defense_ _: 300,000_

 _Type_ _: Medium - Kalinian Metal_

 _Hardness_ _: 80/100_

 _Durability_ _: 50,000/50,000_

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Child of the Shadows_ _: Grants wielder the ability to control shadows as though they were an extension of their bodies. These can work in tandem with Sword Skills but are referenced as Shadow Arts; they cost as much mental fatigue as Sword Skills and have separate cooldowns; however once user becomes_ [ _Master of the Shadow Arts_ ] _they are no longer limited by cooldowns or Shadow Arts but instead create their own use for shadows. This cannot be used in tandem with Void Arts._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Child of the Void_ _: Grants wielder the ability to control the Void, or Nothingness, as though it is an extension of their own selves. These can work in tandem with Sword Skills and are referenced as Void Arts. When the wielder becomes a_ [ _Master of the Void Arts_ ] _there will no longer be a need to use those arts but instead they can create their own and are not limited by cooldowns or arts but are limited by imagination. This cannot be used in tandem with Shadow Arts._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Chains of the Shadows_ _: Chains created out of shadows will wrap around the intended victim, these chains are unbreakable unless target holds strength at the same level of a Divine Immortal. These chains will slowly drain the target's health and give it to the caster, they will also slowly corrode through physical defence and immobilize them to a spot; unless stated otherwise this skill is undodgeable and unblockable. These chains can be cut down prematurely to deal x10 damage to prisoner. The chains last for five minutes. Cooldown ten minutes._ ]

Twin black cylinders that molded themselves to his forearms, ending at his elbow. He rapped one with his knuckles and found that they were indeed solid, probably sturdy enough to block a strike from a sword; although he wasn't sure if his arm would survive the sheer force behind such a strike. The protection of these arm guards did not end there however, covering the back of his palm was a snugly fitting piece of armor that was held there in place by a thin sheet of what looked like chainmail. Kirito twirled his wrist impressed by the flexibility of a metal armor that allowed him to move his arms. Hiding his hands were cosmetic gloves that had come with the arm guards, they were black in color and covered both his hands, protecting everything down to even the fingertips. Within both his palms there was a black material that felt spongy to touch, somehow he knew through information given to him via the game system that these would assist in grip of his weapon by swallowing the weapon hilt, meaning that the moment the blade hilt touched his palm it could not be removed unless he wanted it to be.

[ _ **Shadow Cloak of the Teldazikim**_ ]

[ _Created from the very fabric of the Realm of Nothingness it is a powerful artifact and part of the full Teldazikim equipment that makes them such dangerous enemies and warriors to face on the battle face. With such an equipment it makes one wonder, how did that civilization fall?_ ]

 _ **STATS**_ _:_

 _Defense_ _: 800,000_

 _Type_ _: Heavy - Essence of Nothing_

 _Hardness_ _: Unbreakable_

 _Durability_ _: Unbreakable_

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Unending Darkness_ _: (Toggle) This cloak that is weaved out of the Essence of Nothing can block any strike thrown at it and is impenetrable, yet it is so light that one can almost forget that it is there. However this cloak simply stops attacks, it does not stop the force behind the attack._ _Furthermore this cloak will continue to darken the area that it is around very slowly, but eventually it becomes noticeable and can leave an entire fighting area encased in darkness. However this only works indoors._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Cloak of Darkness_ _: (Toggle) The wearer of this cloak is rended invisible to everything on this planet at the cost of a constant strain on their minds. Only the most keen observers can see past this invisibility meaning that it is essentially impossible to be seen through by anything less than a Divine Immortal being. However this does not block out sound or smell; meaning that other senses can be made to capture the wearer._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Blessing of the Elder Void Gods_ _: When activated this skill grants the wearer complete immunity to any form of damage whilst similarly bolstering all stats by x2. Last for five minutes. Cooldown one hour._ ]

A thick black cloak that descended around his back reaching down far enough that it just barely scraped the floor, a hood covering his face leaving nothing but a black mask with twin glowing green eyes staring coldly back from the darkness of his cowl. It wrapped around to the front of his chest, held in place by a singular chain of black metal that outlined the outer rim of his cloak. Already he could feel the darkness surrounding him, holding him in a tight embrace like a mother would hold their babe. Kirito let loose a grin beneath his mask, pure ecstasy flooding through his veins at such a ridiculous find. Suddenly a pop up appeared before him, he looked at it and let loose a laugh as he looked at the [ _Set Bonus_ ] that had appeared before him.

[ _ **Set Bonus**_ ]

[ _Due to having the complete set of the Teldazikim armor you gained the following:_

 _x10_ [ _Experience Point_ ] _Bonus_

 _1_ [ _Teldazikim Void Essence Blade_ ] _(Unmergeable)_

 _x3 Defensive Stats_

 _x3 Stats overall_

 _Assimilation ability granted to armor set (Including_ [ _Teldazikim Void Essence Blade_ ] _)_

 _Increasing max_ [ _Health_ ] _by 200%_

 _Empowering mental capabilities_

 _Empowered mental defence by 500%_

 _Reducing mental fatigue_

 _Reducing all cooldowns by 20%_

 _Void Arts empowered by 30%_

 _Shadow Arts empowered by 30%_

 _Speed increased by 100%_

 _Strength increased by 100%_

 _ **PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Unlimited Flight of the Darkened_

 _ **ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Empowered Body_ ]

[ _ **PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Unlimited Flight of the Darkened_ _: Wings that were crafted from wisp of shadows joined together. This grants the user the ability to fly unlimitedly with no time limit nor strength limit. However these wings are for flight and flight alone, they have no combat purposes; however they can be used anywhere._ ]

[ _ **ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Empowered Body_ _: This grants the player the ability to make themselves faster, stronger or more resilient to damage. However it takes the player to have high mental capabilities to first draw from willpower and then to project it into their bodies. The cost has high mental fatigue and only the masters can use it like an extension of their bodies without tiring._ ]

Kirito laughed and shook his head. He watched, after dismissing the pop-up notification, that in front of him a new hilt was being made from the very same tree as the strips of bark surrounded a glowing green crystal; and just like before it eventually settled into his left palm. He activated it and his eyes widened as green crystals emerged forth from the wooden hilt, flowing piece and piece together till eventually creating a stretched out oval shaped blade; a leaf shaped blade. Then it began to glow, and just like his gifted blade, it eventually turned into a solid Void green color with wisp slowly flickering around it like tongues of fire. Swirls swimming around it as a soft hum of power filled the air; just like his other blade and just like what Argo got. He looked at the name and found a new screen appear to answer his question.

[ _ **Void Blade from the Essence Crystal of Nothing**_ ]

[ _A blade crafted from the very Realm of Nothing with powers capable of sundering any foe that crosses blade with this unique sword._ ]

 _ **STATS**_ _:_

 _Sharpness_ _: 1,500,000 (included_ _Crafted Blade of the Void_ _)_

 _Hardness_ _: Unbreakable_

 _Balance_ _: 100/100_

 _Durability_ _: Unbreakable_

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Crafted Blade of the Void_ _: Infused with the Essence of Nothingness this blade is capable of cutting through pretty much any material in this world. This gives the weapon +1000% sharpness and is unbreakable._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Essence Reaver_ _: Allows the wielder to absorb the strength of every foe killed adding it on to his own stats personally or to his equipment stats. With every 500 foes killed the user will gain 5 points to add into their personal stats or into their equipment stats._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Blessing of Nothing_ _: All equipped items alongside this item will have their equipment levels maxed out to the fullest and stats of all equipment doubled._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ _:_ _Wounds of Voids Touch_ _: Every fifth attack causes x5 amount of damage that will go through all defences as True Damage. This can be done within a single Sword Skill Combo or over the length of a few different Sword Skills. Furthermore upon the fifth strike the wielder of this blade will be teleported to any target with four other rings on them._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Mark of the Void_ _: Targets a single enemy and inflicts them with_ _Mark of the Void_ _. This results in the target having x5 amplified damage given to the target for the next three minutes. This skill has a cooldown of thirty minutes._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _: Sword Skill:_ _Silence of the Void_ _: A function that allows the next NPC, mob or player struck to be unable to use any skills, flight or otherwise game assisted functions until either the afflicted character is slain or the wielder of this weapon is slain. This can be applied to multiple targets. Has a cooldown of five minutes._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _:_ _Poison of Apophis_ _: (Toggle) Coats the blade in poison straight from the Chaos Serpent himself and results in a Damage Over Time effect. This effect will cause the target to take 0.1% of their maximum health as poison damage every second for twenty seconds. Furthermore it will begin to slowly replace the_ [ _Health Pool_ ] _of any struck enemy with this poison meaning that there is the potential to inject 100% of a target's maximum health as poison damage._ ]

[ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ _: Sword Skill:_ _Sword of Nothing_ _: (Toggle) Working in tandem with Gaia's Embrace this is a skill that allows the user to attack medium distance ranged targets using the Essence of the Primordial. This is further empowered by the number of weapons that Gaia's Embraced has absorbed. Usable alongside Sword Skills._ ]

He quickly pulled out [ _Bane of Apophis_ ] as well as his beta-tester sword and assimilated one into his [ _Void Blade_ ] whilst the other drained into the gift from Helikon. He deactivated both weapons, watching as the crystals faded back into the weapon, shaking his head he attached both to the holders in his hilt before turning to look at Argo; and what he saw shook him. She was beautiful.

Dressed in what looked like complete wooden armor Argo was no longer recognizable as Argo but more as a wood denizen with powers far beyond this world. Above her name sat the title [ _Blessed of Artemis_ ]. This hovered above her head which had been completely covered by a wooden helm with two eye holes that glowed with solid purple, runes and patterns cutting from her eye to either cheek. Two horns curved around her head each with the grooves of ancient times, runes that no one would have understood. A single amulet hung around her forehead, pulsing softly as it responded to the energies of its wearer. A grey cloak fluttered out behind her in the soft small wind, blowing around her like the embrace of a lover.

Her body was entirely covered by the same wooden looking textured armor, swirls of purple cutting through the material as they glowed. Runes of ancient times that pulsed with the raw energy gifted to them by sheer RNG and luck. A belt, much like his own, hugged her waist; however hers was slim with a single purple rune engraved into the center, it pulsed more brighter than anything else on her body whilst two knives sat right behind her waist. Each hilt crafted from leather and wood with blades no doubt much like the ones they had been already gifted; blades made from crystal that glowed like stars. A long skirt that reached her ankles hung from her waist, however from the expert eye of a gamer Kirito knew that this would not hinder her movement but was more for cosmetics than anything. Yet on her back he could see the fletching of arrows that were placed into a quiver each end no doubtfully would glow when placed into her fingers. In her right hand Argo held a pure neon purple bow that was glowing just like their weapons. Once again from simple look he knew that if that bow were to be drawn and fired, that those arrows could punch through a tree like a hot knife cutting through an entire block of butter; what more would it do to any enemy they encounter.

"Wow Kii-bou, you look very very scary." Argo says, her voice unmuffled despite the fact that her helmet, which covered her entire head, had no mouthpiece. She walked up to him, a sudden unnatural grace to each step like a hunter stalking her prey, "I like it."

Kirito grinned, not that Argo could see of course, "How much would I have to pay for the information of all your gear?"

"A few billion Col." she stated flippantly, he definitely knew she was grinning underneath her mask right now.

"Right." he deadpanned answered, shaking his head he allowed his wings to morph out; only to stare in shock of what he saw now.

Instead of the translucent bug like wings that normally appeared out of his back it had been replaced by what looked like wings created out of shadows, the wisp of darkness. These were not insect wings, these were the wings of an angel crafted from the shadows, wings from high above; much higher than mortal minds can comprehend. He took one flap of his wings and disappeared, moving so fast that it seemed he was nothing more than a black bullet, a holler of ecstasy at the ability to fly endlessly pierced the darkening forest.

Argo shook her head, a smile forming once more underneath that mask as she unfurled her own wings and took off after Kirito. Unlike the young man, her wings were seemed to be made from intertwined strands of glowing purple that had wrapped themselves together and formed the shape of wings like birds. She was a hunter now, the bird of prey that would swoop down and devour any insect that got in their way. She was not some helpless little empress, she was a stalker of the sky that never loses their prey. She was to be feared for what she aims for she will gain; that includes the little speck of black that was flying around crazily.

For Kirito the world around him was nothing more than a blur as he dashed forward, spinning and twirling, dancing around the tree trunks like an expert gymnast. He took one look backwards and saw the purple dashing light of Argo chasing after him; the thought of payback flooding through his mind as he remembered what she had done earlier. As they reached the ravine that formed the boundary between this [ _Hell Zone_ ] and the [ _Outer Forest of Seido_ ] with water rushing down as though in an attempt to fill up the ripped up earth; he forced himself to turn invisible. The utility this set of armor gave him was absolutely and utterly incredible.

Quickly he fluttered down and pressed himself against the rock face, watching as a purple light dashed forward, bursting out of the eerie death zone behind them and hovered. No doubt Argo's eyes were scanning every possible shadow to find Kirito, but the said boy was hiding against the rock face as the evening sun setted in the distance. The sky was a mix of purple and orange, casted from the virtual star that blazed to give them sight. It was beautiful and peaceful, almost capable of making the trapped players forget that this was a death game and more of a holiday resort. Quickly he shot up and nudged her on the way up, calling away his disillusioned invisibility and watching as she shot up right after him, her fingers just missing his shoes. He flew upwards, watching as the slowly revealing stars played out across the sky like the work of a master artist. They twinkled from their position in the heavens, smiling down upon the world with soft joyful laughters. On the left he could see them more clearly, the echo of a creator's hand, whilst when his eyes traveled more towards the right they got harder to see as the tip of the setting sun slowly descended in the distant horizon. A master creator hands splayed the beauty of his art across their world; Kirito closed his eyes for a few seconds allowing the feeling of the wind whipping around him as well as the pure sight around him that had been ingrained into his mind play out inside his head. It was beautiful and in just that moment, he could almost believe that he was not playing a death game, but flying freely.

He slowed down as he reached the cloud lines, feeling the cold wind whipping around him and causing his cloak to flutter behind him; his eyes opening once more to watch as darkness slowly engulfed light. Argo slowed as she noticed him stopping, her body turning to face the sunset as he stared on. His mask pulled back from his face, choosing to show his face to the world, however both of them knew that what had happened was simply his choice for the mask to pull back at the sight of a friendly ally. His black hair suddenly pushed back by the wind that was wrapping itself around them. Her mask pulled back too as she floated up to stand beside him. Both of them simply hovering high above what was capable of most players, their wings softly beating without a single sound created from them. Both of them simply staring out at the beautiful sight that was appearing before them. Both lost in their own minds as thoughts swirled like a powerful hurricane.

"I'm cold Kii-bou." Argo said softly. The sky above her purple whilst the air before them still had the slight cooper golden orange hue to it as the sky was painted through the setting sun.

She had turned so that now she faced Kirito, her brown eyes staring intently into his black as he turned to face her. She slowly fluttered over to him, closing that last half meter between them as she nestled into his arms, her face and hands pressed up against his chest. She felt his arms wrap themselves around her, his mouth pressed up against her hair, and felt the tightening of his arms as his mind undoubtedly played over the events that had just occurred. How close both of them had been to death, how many times Kirito had taken the ire of the beast so that Argo could continue her ranged assault. She was no fool, she had noticed how many [ _Health Potions_ ] he had burned through to keep her safe. During this early into the game there was no way any player could create those, neither was the option available for NPC crafters; meaning that the only way he had gotten them was from quest rewards. He had used something that he worked hard for, just to protect her; she would be damned if she allowed her shyness in this area get to her. True that she teased him endlessly in the beta, yes she often made many lewd jokes and comments; however the truth was that she had never had a relationship before, never once even kissed someone or even hugged someone of the opposite gender outside her family. But after what had happened, she refused to wait any longer.

"Kiss me." she whispered, turning her head upwards to look at him, feeling his head lifting of hers. She stared into his eyes as he leaned back, the distant sun evermore being engulfed by darkness as the once purple sky began to turn into a dark navy blue and black; unfiltered stars exploding into life across the night sky. But his beauty was lost as the two players hovered in mid air, content for the time being; both their hearts hammering so loudly that they would have sworn someone could hear it from a mile away. "Kiss me Kii-bou. Kiss -"

She was interrupted as warm lips met her own. Her eyes closed as she moved her hands up from his chest to wrap them around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss whilst at the same time she felt the arms around her shoulders dropping around her waist and pulling her in tighter. She arched her back, flushing her chest into his as she leaned even more into the kiss. They eventually broke contact, their breaths ragged from the sudden lip locking.

"Argo -" Kirito breathed out, his eyes staring intently into hers.

"Shut up Kii-bou." Argo whispered back, interrupting whatever he was going to say before meeting his lips with hers once more. Her mind shut down as they began to kiss heavily again, she could feel his hands pressing against her waist in a nice pleasurable manner, her own fingers gripping his hair as she pulled his head down to meet hers. If this had been on the ground there would have been no doubt that she would have had to tiptoe, but even so in the air her feet were pointed straight down as if she was tiptoeing on something invisible. Her toes curling as the pleasure of kissing her first ever real friend coursed through her like lightning, "I'm not letting you go."

They eventually got back to the palace where Argo stayed as the Empress, fluttering by the window which had been left open in their hasty escape of the confining building. Argo stood within the building, having ducked into the large window as silk curtains fluttered lightly from the wind.

"Well … cya?" Kirito asked, one hand behind his head as he scratched his head; mask still retracted. Awkwardly unsure of what to do now, they had kept on kissing for quite awhile and only left when they finally accepted to hearing the annoying pinging sound of physical touch lasting too long amongst the two of them as a notification had popped up. They had flown back to the castle, hand in hand with their wings beating silent against the air. He began to turn around, wings gathering power to suddenly shoot forward at a quick speed to disappear and allow his thoughts to gather within his mind; when her voice stopped him.

"Kirito, where are you staying tonight?" she asked, the soft teasing voice that had made sexual innuendos in the past now held none of the usual temptress sound but rather sounded fearful, nervous, anxious and shy. He turned around to look at her, hands clasped behind her back and biting her bottom lip anxiously.

"Probably just going to grab a room from an inn that I can find outside of the city." Kirito shrugged his shoulders as if this was no big deal for him; knowing the solo player it probably wasn't. He looked up towards the endless starry night, maybe he would stay under the canopy of the sky, he certainly wouldn't mind sleeping underneath such a sight.

"Come in Kii-bou." Argo spoke up shyly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she looked at him. She took a few steps backwards into the shadows of her room, staying away from the small circle of illuminated moonlight that entered through the open window.

"Argo -" he had begun only to be suddenly cut off.

"Kii-bou. Get in." the female information dealer demanded, her voice of authority causing him to sigh and slowly hover in. The moment his armored feet touched the floor his wings deactivated. He looked at her as she sat on her bed, her eyes looking solely at the floor as though something of great interest was there, "Sleep with me tonight." she asked softly, yet within the silent room it might as well have been a gong that had gone off.

"Erm … Argo I …" the black haired boy stumbled over his words, fumbling hands striking through his dark hair, fingers scratching the scalp underneath.

"Not like that Kii-bou! Get your head out of the gutter." she furiously, and embarrassingly, fumbled, "I just want to sleep in the same bed as you." she muttered, her eyebrows scrunched up as she frowned at floor as if it had just insulted her grandmother. He sighed, obviously distressed and confused and entirely baffled by what a turn this night had taken.

"Okay." he answered softly, whipped. The bed dipped down as he sat down next to her, armor disequipped and already in his night sleeping gear. A simple white cotton shirt that loosely hung around his body whilst brown pants covered his legs, a little tie of string hanging in the front of his waist. He refused to look at her, instead he slowly rolled to the opposite side of the bed and laid down awkwardly and stiffly, looking only at the ceiling above them and the intricate designs that were grafted into the wooden ceiling. They were definitely breathtaking to look at, but even they paled at the sight of the night sky. He felt the bed dip down once again as Argo undoubtedly took her position next to him, a blanket being drawn up to the middle of his chest. Suddenly he felt a warm hand snaking itself across his chest and he turned on his side to look at the beautiful little minx of a girl that always use to tease him, the girl that he had first befriended during the beta testing and a girl that had been one of the few people who truly became his friend; and thus he saw a sight that beat the sight of the night starry sky.

Argo was wearing nothing more than a silky nightgown that hung loosely from her shoulders, underneath that was just a little undergarment that hid the necessities but displayed everything else for him to see. He snaked one shaking arm around her shoulder, pulling her in after seeing the glare in her eyes and promise of pain if he did not react to her move. He held her close to him, her hands fisted and placed gently against his chest as she curled into his hug. He felt a vibration spread across his chest, a mouth mumbling something which he couldn't quite hear.

"What was that?" he asked her, looking into her eyes as she turned to look at him. The faint blush tainting her cheeks before she closed the gap between them and captured his lips with her own, letting out a soft moan as he responded to the kiss.

"Nothing Kii-bou." she whispered when they parted, her words warm against his own lips; which were lightly brushing against his, "Night Kii-bou." she said quietly before snuggling back into his chest, the blanket wrapped around them keeping them warm.

"Goodnight Argo." he whispered back to her before letting his eyes close and letting a smile break across his face as he tightened his grip around her shoulders and felt her respond by melting into his embrace even more. Darkness soon overtook the two of them.


	7. Chapter 7 - Stopping the Advance

**Chapter 7 - Stopping the Advance**

" _Damage is calculated with these factors in mind. First it is split into two arch-categories. The first arch-category is WEAPON which consist of_ _Sharpness_ _and_ _Hardness_ _of the weapon. From the PLAYER side damage is calculated using the factors of_ _Speed_ _at which the melee weapon was swung and_ _Strength_ _behind the swing; this creates the overall factor of_ _Power_ _. However lastly is the_ _Location_ _factor which is where the opponent is struck. These few factors are what are used to calculate damage within Seven Kingdoms Online for Melee Weapons_." ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Combat

It had been three months since that night of sleep with Argo. They had occasionally gone back and snuggled, holding each other close to one another; on the few rare nights. They had yet to define their relationship in any manner, instead choosing to act as though the kissing had not really happened and only when they were holding one another during sleep did they allow themselves the slip to dip into kissing out, with a few times Argo's hands wandering underneath his shirt. But besides that Kirito had been at hard work with exploring and mapping out the surrounding areas around their capital city.

The one advantage that [ _Seido_ ] had over the other nations was that they could only be accessed by either boat through the sea with very few beach points where they would actually be able to beach and unload, or by flight. With Argo as Empress she had been unable to continue on her gathering information, however she had overcome this by choosing a hand few picked people to be her ears and eyes which would then constantly stream in a large amount of information to her; which she would then in turn create into a library. True, their Kingdom did have its own library; however Argo had that demolished before being rebuilt with large rooms that spanned far as it was wide. Kirito provided her with maps of the surrounding areas at astounding speeds, recreating the entire map of [ _Seido_ ] which had been lost at the end of the beta season. Because of this library with its various tomes of information and knowledge, including tactics on how to fight certain respawning field bosses, how to do certain quest and where they were; many rushed to these libraries to gain as much as they could. Yet Argo being the sly dealer that she was made a 10,000 Col fee that was required to be paid upon entree and that would give any who entered access to the [ _Outer Sanctuary_ ] of the [ _Great Library of Seido_ ]. However if one wanted to access further information and more detailed maps and the such it would require them to enter the [ _Inner Sanctuary_ ] of the library, which would cost anyone seeking to enter 50,000 Col. Finally there was the [ _Center Sanctuary_ ] which at the center most part of the library; this had the most secret of secrets and information that one would normally pay hundred of thousands of Col for. To enter this one must have permission from Argo herself and pay the cost of 100,000 Col.

Yet whilst Kirito had explored the lands around the capital city, mapping both generic maps as well as more detailed ones with the proper spawning spots of monsters, quest locations, field bosses and dropped items; he stumbled across something that caused both a mixture of fear and excitement for the Kingdom of [ _Seido_ ]. With their land split into five main islands, and their Kingdom being in the southern most island, they could not really pass over to any other land due to the lack of information and technology required to build a boat. However that did not mean that other land masses could not do the same. True that people could probably fly between the islands, but that required one to be level 150 or more to do so and currently most players were only around the 50 mark.

On the other three major islands were NPC's that were vicious, they were programmed to become events to force the players to level up quickly to overcome them. If they did not they would be wiped out and destroyed. The fourth island did not have any inhabitants that were known of as a huge raging storm circled it like a dragon circling its hoarded gold. When the time was right the other three islands would suddenly become active, meaning they would reach out and try to capture land of the other islands to expand their empire. It would not all be at once, but they would closely follow each other; to make things harder each of the other three Kingdoms would have higher technology based functions making them more powerful in terms of weaponry, transportation and defensive capabilities. Upon beating these other three nations the players would then be able to set up one main capital city on each island before venturing to the center island and beating the boss that hid there. Once defeated they would be able to intermingle with the other nations.

There bonuses and rewards for all players at the end of this event with certain side missions that could be completed for extra rewards. During the beta this was a massive shock to many of the players and it resulted in almost every single one of the Seven Major Kingdoms collapsing and needing the Game Masters to restart the entire game. But now this was not just a game, this was life or death and this war could potentially mean the death of many players. Battle lines would be drawn, ambushes would happen; these invading NPC's could use _Sword Skills_ just like any other mob, had their own names and health; some could use wings and they had tactics that adapted to the battlefield. It was not as straightforward as just hack and slash, there were intricate plans. They had their own champions, equipped with powerful armor and specialized attacks; powerful in their own right and more dangerous than field bosses. Kirito even remembered that one time when an invading force had managed to capture and force a [ _Wind Wyvern_ ] to assist them in battle; it had caused havoc amongst the lines of players in the beta.

It was on this one peaceful day where it was discovered this event had begun.

An outpost about five hour flight from their capital Kingdom of [ _Seido_ ] was ransacked and killed. Nothing left but smoking piles of wood and the empty silence of dead NPC's. It was small and generally seen as insignificant, no real specialized quest there nor any rewards that would have been worth the five hour journey. The only people that ventured into that area were players who wanted the privilege of solitude and untouched grinding grounds. Three players had rushed back one day, their wings buzzing like the fluttering of insects and health bars dangerously low, they crash landed into the floor just before the palace gates. They caused quite the commotion with many trying to get information out of them, until Empress Argo appeared and called them into the palace, closing the gates to anyone else until she had the full story; controlling information was second nature to her after all. With the players bandaged up and healed they explained what had happened to them as they stood before the Throne of the Empress.

There had been twenty-five players in that area, most already in parties preset before venturing out towards the edges of the Kingdom. All of them had gathered back into the small outpost village due to there being hints and clues by the NPC that rumours was that an army was coming to invade. All the quest that people were doing had eventually forced them back into the village before locking them there by having a quest that stated for them to defend the village. Suddenly during the high afternoon an attack was launched, one moment there was peace amongst the trees with the soft sound of water lapping against the shores in a nearby pond; the next a house was on fire and arrows were raining down from the sky into the village. The players had reacted quickly, many ducking to hide or defending themselves with shields, only a few were injured during the first arrow hail. However that could not be said for the NPC's in the village, the guards that normally took watch over the small village had been essentially entirely wiped out; only five guards remained out of the ten. Then came the screaming warriors rushing out from the bushes, seeing a humanoid figure rushing at them the players had frozen up, caught unaware of the new switch of enemies. It had proven to be fatal as three fell in quick succession of the spear wielding enemies.

Eventually they had retaliated, the color of _Sword Skills_ bathing the land as they sliced into the enemy, parties sticking together as they held their own against the invading horde. However it wasn't soon till numbers overtook their strength, it seemed that for every enemy struck down and that disappeared into blue fluttering light, another would just as quickly take their place. Another four players died due to mental fatigue. The remaining eighteen players had quickly attempted to leave, decided that dying here was not worth whatever reward came from the quest. By that point all the NPC's of the outpost village were already dead, houses were ablaze and it was only the players that stopped them from overspilling their land. Yet out of the eighteen that remained and were fleeing, three could not fly and five had wings that only supported quick burst of agility and speed. Those on the ground had been quickly swarmed, slain where they fell on the ground as they disappeared into the fading blue shards of light; _Final Stand_ incapable of helping them when they were just stabbed again before they got any chance to retaliate. Those other five that could not fly long distances had been shot down from the sky by arrows that pierced their thighs, arms, bodies, heads. When they fell from the sky they looked like porcupines with the amount of arrows sticking out of them; most never even survived the fall.

The surviving ten had flown as hard as they could but then they were ambushed by some mobs along the way; mobs that normally would have been no problem but with their already damaged bodies and then damaged minds wrecked by death staring them in the face as well as anxiety and shock of their friends death, they were easy pickings. Only three had managed to escape the sudden entanglement of spider webs, the other seven pulled into the underground caverns very much alive; their screams heard travelling through the winds like wraiths of the dead.

Hearing this report Argo had immediately called for the gathering of the [ _Courts of Seido_ ], this meant most of the highest skilled blacksmiths, warriors, merchants, information gatherers and guild masters were there. The discussion wore on for weeks, in that time four other outpost from the Western front were crushed, each getting closer and closer towards the Kingdom. The invading force were recognized as NPC's from the Kingdom of [ _Seiyari_ ]; vicious warriors who wielded the spear as their primary melee weapon. They had established a home base upon the Western Beach, one of the three ways to enter their island by boat. From there a steady supply line of soldiers and supplies were being given to the base, raid teams seeking out where the capital city was and seeking ways to overcome it. Each fallen outpost of their Kingdom resulted in the [ _Seiyari_ ] turning it into their outpost. The debates of the court resulted in anger from the players, they were talking about strategy yet nothing was being done, they were talking about ideas but yet nothing was implemented.

Argo finally had enough, she demanded with the authority of the title Empress that an army would be assembled and be sent out alongside some NPC soldiers with a selected few battleworn worthy soldiers who would act as generals to take charge of on the ground fighting. There would be a selection process that would take place immediately on the morrow and that all players were to go gather materials for weapons. When she addressed the entire player based nation there was a promise that she would ensure later roles were given out to their Kingdom; she said how they had fallen lax and that due to this a war against computers was seen as something hard. This was pathetic; and all agreed with her. Her words, her actions, her charisma which she had always hid behind a little shyness burst forward and captured the attention of everyone within their Kingdom. It was amazing actually how it happened, one would think that many people would clash; and clashes there were in the lower ranks, but unity stayed strong in the higher ranks. The selection process for warriors and generals did two things, one it cut down discrimination against beta players because individuals were recognized by skill and not title and two it only allowed the skilled to enter into their ranks. All were given standardised gear, no accessories were allowed.

Of course Kirito entered, easily overcoming every adversary placed against him with nothing more than a few moves, his speed, strength, agility, accuracy and tactical mind placed him far above the other players. It came to no surprise for anyone competing that he easily swooped into the grand finals of the competition; a competition that took the span of a few days whilst NPC soldiers were sent out to stop the advancing enemy army with a few high level information gathering players. However, upon the advice of Argo, Kirito cleared the entire competition wearing a mask. Before that competition he had gone unnoticed by everyone, he did not want that to change whilst helping to push back the gathering powerful force that could potentially kill all of them. If they were the same, or more powerful, than in the beta then their Kingdom was about to face a crisis that perhaps only the [ _First Invasion_ ] could top. Yet only the few beta players knew what was to come, no one else did; they were laughing, smiling and cracking jokes, few were solemn. Either those were the ones who had lost friends already to the outpost raids, or those who knew what was about to happen.

They prepared as much as they could for a week before scouts that had been stationed upon the hills surrounding their Kingdom came rushing back with word that the first army of the [ _Seiyari_ ] was approaching. It had certainly been a battle.

-Flash Back-

 _The sky was crystal baby blue, the few small clouds lolling about slowly as they were pushed by the winds high above as though they were pulled by the chariots. Kirito looked around him, he had chosen to wear the full Teldazikim armor set, the cloak hugged him well and so very few could even see the quality of his armor._ _He had found a new feature of his mask, that was that it distorted his voice at will making it sound much deeper than it actually was. In both of his hands he held normal steel weapons, forged for them by the blacksmiths of_ [ _Seido_ ]. _He spun them unconsciously, letting the weight of the blade roll with his wrist as he prepared his mind for the battle that was about to begin. He could feel the nervousness in the air, it seemed that those chosen to step forward finally realized that this was not some game event, this was a place where they could die and never be found again. There would be no body for burial, no ground that would be dug and tombstone above their name. No this was a place where if one died they died without a trace._

 _Kirito looked up, his eyes staring through the twin eye sockets in his mask that blazed with green fire. His eyes catching Argo's, she had refused to sit back and let people do things without her. She was dressed in her purple armor, wings hidden like him, her bow drawn with an arrow fletched between her fingers and resting against the body of the longbow. The customary Palace Guards surrounding her in their famous red armor, scaled like shoulder guards that flowed into a breastplate covering their entire torso. Overlapping layers of armor sealing around their bodies making them large and an easy target that could quickly cover the Empress. In their hands they held their swords, in the other shields as they surrounded the leader of their nation. He could see Shojin standing close to Argo, much too close for his personal liking. His grip on the leather hilt in his hands creaked as his knuckles whitened underneath the gauntlets._

 _He looked forward, missing the purple burning eyes that had turn to stare at him, missing the slight down turn of her lips behind that mask. They hadn't had any time to themselves in the last few weeks, with all the preparation going on and with him always out on recon to give her something they hardly had time to even sit down and talk like they use to. She realized that despite everything he had given her, surrendering to his emotions whenever he was with which was a strange thing for him; giving her his life when he constantly tried to save her whilst they had fought that shadow beast. She had given him nothing more than a few kisses and allowed him to hug her. She promised to herself that the moment this issue was over, the moment they got some time alone she would make up for it. She would not be someone who just took, yes she was vicious when it came down to information haggling and the controlling of the political courts, but for him she would give up anything for free._

 _Of course she would tease him about it, dangling him and whatever he wanted just barely out of reach of one another to make him squirm; but if he wanted something, anything whether it be information or her, she would give it to him. Her first true friend, the first person that actually sat down and talked to her of simply everything and anything. She hadn't made it easy, did not make it fun for him in anyway when they first started. She had constantly pushed him away, refusing to let anyone through the walls she had surrounded herself with, but then one day she realized that he had simply appeared past the walls and inside of her heart; and she gave up fighting. It was pointless to fight the way he made her smile by simply being around, pointless to struggle against the fact that when he talked to her it made her feel alive, pointless to deny that she loved kissing him, that she loved it when his arms circled around her or when his hands dug into her hips. Pointless. Argo turned away, decided to stare into the distant land, waiting for the_ [ _Seiyari_ ] _to appear over the ridge of the hill; ignoring everything Shojin had said. She didn't need to look at the oaf to know that he was steaming at her flippant dismissal. He walked back to the guards, heavy thumping of his feet as they slammed on the ground repeatedly._

" _A real issue that one." a voice said behind her, she jumped, turning around with a mock glare aimed right at the boy who had done so. Slightly long but neat black hair pulled across his head, black eyes staring at her with mirth in them. His delicate face showed no trace of masculinity and it was something that seriously, and really, drew her to him; just the way that he knew he didn't need to prove himself, did not need to act big because he simply was what he was._

" _That wasn't very nice Kii-bou." she feraly grinned as her helmet pulled back like his, "Or should I say General Kenta?"_

" _Hey! No using that name." he playfully growled, "It's a stupid name."_

" _I think it fits you quite nicely Kii-bou." Argo smirked, "You know there are whispers of people asking what do you actually look like behind your mask."_

" _Good thing we're a little bit more front than everyone else, I don't really want them to see my face." Kirito replied with a small smile, "Don't want that attention."_

" _Well you already have quite a number of girls chasing after you." she looked at him with dangerously innocent eyes, "Should I be worried?" She internally smiled shyly at the scoff he gave._

" _Those dunderheads can't even count to five. Please if there was a competition she should be at least of worth." the so called General Kenta replied._

" _Are you saying I'm not worth anything?" Argo asked, hands going to rest on her hips as she cocked them to one side. Eyebrows furrowing into a playful frown whilst she did her best to death glare him. She let it break, laughter escaping her lips easily when he gulped audibly and visibly._

" _Argo stop twisting my words." he sighed exasperatedly._

" _I'm not twisting them, merely making them say what you did not say." the playful minx laughed at him as he placed one hand over his face._

" _How am I supposed to survive this?" he asked no one._

" _What is the report Shojin?" Argo asked, her mask sliding into place just in time to cover her annoyed reaction at the arrival of her oaf of a guard. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Kirito's mask covered his face once more as he too turned to look at the arriving male chauvinist pig. She sighed, one day they would get some uninterrupted time to themselves._

" _They will be here within minutes your highness." he said, giving a low bow, "We must rally the troops and ready ourselves to fight."_

 _Argo sighed, "Let's get to it, drive this event back from the borders of my Kingdom." She began to walk away, going to address the army that stood behind her._

" _You. I do not know who you are but know this, you address her with the highest of honors; understood?" Shinjo snarled at Kirito who rolled his eyes behind his mask, "I don't care if you are the strongest swordmaster in the Kingdom of_ [ _Seido_ ] _but you, General Kenta, will not talk to her as if she was your friend. She is the Empress and thus must be treated as such."_

" _If you say so … Shojin." Kirito deadpanned, before turning around and walking away, following Argo as she stood up on a stone to thunder across the army. As soon as they saw the Empress everyone quietened down._

" _Warriors!" the lithe girl thundered with incredible volume, all eyes focused on her, "Today we stand to defend our homes! Today we stand to protect those we care for! Today we avenge those who have fallen! No more deaths! We clear this and we are one step closer to returning back! We will wipe the_ [ _Seiyari_ ] _from the face of this world, we will show them what happens when they mess with the Kingdom of_ [ _Seido_ ] _! We are warriors! We do not back down! We are gamers! We! Will! Win!" the final word was roared and immediately everyone reacted, hands and weapons being thrown up as they thundered an equally loud roar that seemed to shake the very earth that was underneath their feet._

 _A chant started, one that resonated into the very air around them and that swirled up into the sky; as though mortals were trying to reach the immortal divines by simply shouting at them._

" _Empress! Empress! Empress!" they roared, a chant so loud that she was sure that the_ [ _Seiyari_ ] _could hear them from the opposite side._

 _She leapt down from the rock and found herself a simply arm's length away from Kirito who stood there. She could feel him grinning from behind his mask, could practically see the struggle he was having to keep his laughter down._

" _What happened to all that normal shyness eh?" he teased her, grateful the tables had turned._

" _I can be loud when I want to be." she huffed, crossing her arms._

" _Such inspiration was driven through right then." he said with a fake breathy voice._

" _If you don't stop with that I will make you breathless." she threatened him._

" _Oh? And how exactly will you do that?" Kirito asked with arms crossed on his chest, "We are in public."_

" _There is always the after party." she whispered quietly after taking a step closer to him, "And I know quite a few … things that could make you lose your mind." she breathed lightly, grinning when she saw him shiver slightly._

" _This is cheating Argo. You can't distract me before the battle." the so called General Kenta chided._

 _Before she could reply with an equally scalding reply a sudden shout caught her attention._

" _They're here!" a yell caught all of their attention, every single person turning to look at the sudden darkness that had crept over the hill. The jingling of metal and armor harnesses could be heard as the enemy battle line drew up against theirs._

" _Don't die Kii-bou." Argo commanded him, "Or I'll hunt you down."_

" _I'll try not to Empress." he said with a heavy emphasis on the word 'Empress' as he got into his battle stance._

 _The battle started very quickly in a way that no one expected. Firstly Kirito looked at his blades and sighed before dropping them, tired of the metal feel. The people around him looked at him confused only for their eyes to widen when he activated both of his gifted blades._ [ _ **Taldariq, Blade of the Earth**_ ] _and_ [ _ **Void Blade from the Essence Crystal of Nothing**_ ] _activating, bathing the area around him in green and orange hues. Some stared jealously, others confused as to how he got those blades, whilst others seethed at the obvious sign of a beater._

 _A few steps away from him Argo had activated her bow, allowing it to glow a perfect purple that seem to have become a solid color substance; the fletching of the arrow pulled back against her lip. She released, a single arrow that flew across the air with such speed that it seemed to almost be like a lightning bolt. However halfway through its flight the arrow split up into many other arrows, each glowing purple just like the original. When the arrows fell amongst the soldiers many fell, impaled in vital areas that caused various swirls of blue pixelated light to reach into the sky. They had screamed at outrage after that, before then rushing forward with spears in their hands whilst archers rained down from the back._

" _Flyers go! Go! Go!" a thunderous roar from one of the other Generals called forth the armies of warriors that were specified for aerial combat against the other flying warriors, to ensure that nothing could hit their back lines._

 _Kirito lost himself in the battle, while true that he did not allow himself to use any of the_ [ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVES**_ ] _that his armor gifted him, even without them he was already much too strong for this battle. He cut through the flashing spear head of an enemy, removing the dangerous part of the stick, before spinning around and slicing through the body of another enemy; following up with a beheading move to the first foe. He punched_ [ _ **Taldariq**_ ] _through the chest of a charging enemy and cut the hand off a charging_ [ _Seiyari_ ] _spearman with_ [ _ **Void Blade**_ ], _spinning in a full circle Kirito dismembered the opponent with a quick swipe across his waist. He was an arch of destruction, with his weapons being so high leveled he did not need to fear the repercussion of needing multiple hits to kill his enemies. He simply kept on using One-Strike Sword Skills_. _Out from the corner of his eye he noticed other players engaged in battle having to use their agility and Sword Skills to overcome the odd number of attackers. The flashes all around him could very easily distract him away from the actual fight at hand, and true they probably wouldn't damage him, he wanted to stay focused._

 _A sudden burst of light from their side signalled the first loss the army of the_ [ _Seido_ ] _Kingdom would feel, thankfully it was only an NPC. However it went downhill from there. Fifteen minute in the battle the first player died, stabbed seven times with a spear; after that the death toll only increased. Mental fatigue was beginning to take its place and it was causing a serious amount of death. The enemy was faster, stronger and more agile than their average warriors, definitely stronger than their NPC army. Their weapons sharper and harder, alongside the fact that their armor was also more advanced this entire battle felt like trying to push a giant boulder up a steep hill. They were not used to the drawn out battle, players were not used to having to chain their skills and to conserve energy for the long fight. He shook his head ruefully, no matter how much the players hated the beta-players it was a simple fact that they did have more skill in information and playing than most of the general population. He kept on swinging, pushing back and holding their crumbling front line. In the distant he suddenly heard the hum and buzz of another Essence Blade being activated, immediately knowing that it was Argo who activated her bladed gauntlets. With the two of them they carved a swathe through the enemy ranks, constantly clearing back any close breaches through their lines with their incredibly over powered weapons._

 _Then the air around the battle changed, a tide that suddenly swept over them and caused the already tired players to lose all morale. They ran, turning their backs to the enemy and sprinted away. Kirito turned to find what could the cause be of such large AoE debuffs of fear and terror only to figure it out relatively quickly. A single man was rushing down the hill, dressed in red iron steel armor that covered his body, lapping and overlapping like the typical Japanese samurai armor. Purple underneath cloth easily visible between the folds of his crimson armor, a band with four golden circles intertwining amongst each other sat around his forehead; a half cape around his shoulders as he bounded forward, arm drawn back. A spear sat in his hands, crafted into three sections with three distinct colors. Most of the handle was crimson, just like his armor, but the section joining the body to the head was made from gold and purple. It was not a normal spearhead that sat in the front, but rather one piece of metal that faced forward whilst two of branching sheets of metal, that had been folded upon themselves to add weight, width and girth, hung out from either side._

 _The boy known as General Kenta leapt forward, activating_ [ _Speed of Nothing_ ] _from his_ [ _Void Boots_ ]. _He targeted five enemies in between him and what he presumed as the charging elite warrior of the_ [ _Seiyari_ ] _people. He sliced through each of the five, leaving nothing but blue pixels and the sound of shattering glass in his wake; the soldiers of_ [ _Seido_ ] _had gathered a few meters away from the advancing enemy, an attempt to hold off their line once more. Just as his burst of speed accelerated forward forth from the fifth target he had selected prior, he swung his blades in a Two-Hit Sword Skill. The first strike would have cleaved through the man spear and the second lobbed the man's head off from his body. However this was stopped right in its tracks by the warrior who had manage to block Kirito's right handed blade with his own whilst at the same time leaning backwards and letting his green glowing blade pass by his throat with only a centimeter to spare._

 _A sharp blow to his jaw forced Kirito to disengage, jumping backwards away from the warrior whilst twirling out and striking two of his allies down. The swirling particles partially blinding him, almost allowing an opening for the AI to strike out; he leaned back barely missing a straight out jab that could have easily taken him through the heart. Spinning he brought his blade up again, shocked that whoever this stranger was they could stop an attack from his Essence Blades for more than a single blow. Grinning at the sudden reappearance of an enemy that could meet him blow for blow, the thrill of fighting and not just slaughtering; a challenge. He ducked underneath another blow, twirling his blades once before unleashing an attack that would have left most enemies breathless as they attempted to block his slaughtering advance. Yet this warrior could match, barely match but still match, each blow with a block. It was more surprising than anything that a weapon could hold out against his own._

" _You are strong warrior." the man across him replied. His spiky and bushy black hair lying limp against his forehead as a grin split his face. He had very sharp and angular features that made him almost seem gaunt, the defined jawline certainly gave him a look of strength. The spear that was causing Kirito such problems, and yet so much fun, was held in a ready position with the tip facing the ground whilst the shaft of the spear held against his inner arm gently, "A worthy foe against my blade."_

 _Kirito was definitely not prepared for this, a mob that spoke halfway during battle. He could feel the dialogue setting starting up, settling around them like a blanket and it was really unnerving._

" _You are strong, much more stronger than I had not our gods blessed me with strength." the spear began to spin quickly till it became a blur to all spectators, "Come warrior, let us test our blade against one another." with that he dashed forward, a wordless battle cry ripping forth from his mouth as he brought the spear down with such strength that it cracked the earth when the strike connected, missing the target as Kirito had maneuvered himself out of the way of the attack. His right blade coming up, cutting the warrior across the chest and nicking his chin with a small cut._

 _The warrior jumped back, his spear sweeping around to keep Kirito at a distance, only to fail as the swordsman stepped in, both his blades connecting against the spear to knock it back as he jumped forward, twin swords arcing with the trailing of orange and green light respectively. The two blades sliced through the man's armor but missed doing any severe damage; he had dropped his spear and jumped back to avoid death. Kirito did not let up, dashing forward and delivering quick executing moves that sliced the opponent over and over again in various places; yet each time the man seem to elude the final hit by the smallest amounts._

 _Growling Kirito yelled, "Ketto!" and immediately a white line burned through the ground around them with the diameter of five meters, it singed the grass and quickly completed itself. When the circle was completed the ringing sound of what sounded like a gong echoed through the field; the man found that within the field he could not move outside of the white lines._

 _Narrowing his eyes the_ [ _Seiyari_ ] _elite warrior fisted his hands and got ready to fight the warrior in hand to hand combat. Kirito deactivated his two blades, the crystals falling back in as the hilts were clipped back to his waist; his own armoured hands coming up. The dash forward by the cornered man was fast, much faster than he had been with a spear; the golden glowing fist nearly caught Kirito in the ribs, it was only his extremely response time that allowed him to jump back and miss it all together. Stepping in the young boy swung his right arm in a full swing, and as the Spear Master moved to block it, Kirito grabbed his arm, wrenched his entire body forward and followed up with a powerful punch to the face with a green fist that glowed green. It sent the man flying backwards and bouncing forth from the boundary line of the_ [ _Honor Duel_ ], _only for a knee to collide with his face and once again forcing him against the boundary line. As his head lolled forward again 'General Kenta' snapped out his right hand, watching as the glowing crimson fist slammed into the man's head and blowing it to the side; a sickening crunch audible to only him. The white boundary line disappeared as the Spear Master fell to the ground with a dull thud that caused many to fall silent as one of the strongest warriors on the battlefield fell to a mere boy. A bright white light began to emit forth from the fallen body before it exploded into the shattering of white and blue pixels accompanied with the sound of shattering glass._

" _Sutaffu!" the man in front of him yelled, a staff in his hand and rage visible in his eyes as he leaped forward. Kirito quickly activated both his blades, bringing them up with a reverse hand grip as he blocked the downward staff strike that would have no doubt collided with his head. He struggled to push up against the young man. The face of what looked like a twenty year old covered mostly by a wide brim straw hat looked extremely disconcerting with such an angry and wrathful look. He was dressed in white garments without any armor, the only sign that he was a warrior was the staff in his hand and the band around his head with the four interlinked golden circles. Then the face changed from one of wrath to one of shock as a purple arrow pierced through the temple of his skull and came out the otherside. Before he could even fall down dead another four more arrows slammed into him, knocking him off Kirito. The young man rolled a few meters before laying face down as his body began to glow white and then finally blue as he exploded into a thousand particles._

 _Kirito looked over to Argo as she was retreating underneath the hailing attack of another Spear Master; she had taken a pause from her battle to unleash a four arrow barrage on his attacker, just to help him. Shaking his head Kirito let a smirk form underneath his mask as he deactivated his green blade and reached out till his left palm was facing her opponent. A sudden darkness has swept over his palm, and many watched as from the ground chains formed from what looked like solid darkness wrapped around the opponent. Snaking their way across his arms, his torso, his neck, his legs; all like the soft caress of a lovers embrace. Except for the fact that as those cold chains touched any material a hiss began to fill the air, soft bluish tinged smokes steaming off his slowly corroding armor. Argo wasted no time as she dashed forward quickly, cutting each chain in rapid succession and resulting in the amplified damage stacking on top of one another. Each slice eliciting a scream from the warrior as pain began to stack like thorns. As the last chain was cut from around his chest the man flew back as though he had been hit by a giant invisible fist and as he crashed into the floor he exploded into a thousand small lights._

 _However Kirito never saw the end of that fight, only felt the last chain disappear as the shadows from his palm left and he quickly pulled out his second green hued crystal blade as he fought off the next attacking soldier. He was probably the most powerful warrior out of even the elite, in each hand he held a spear and wielded them like as though he had been doing it since he was young. The clashing hues of green, gold, red and blue fell upon the colors of orange and green like waves crashing into rocks, washing over them but never damaging them. Kirito blocked another swing from the spear, catching it with_ [ _Taldariq_ ] _before nipping the elite warrior in the chest with his_ [ _Void Blade_ ]. _He smirked at the face of the warrior as a sudden silence descended around him, his face struggling to not allow the shock and fear to breach through his own walls as he felt the connection he had with his weapons disappear and mute._ [ _Silence of the Void_ ] _an active skill that allowed him to cut the opponent's connection to Sword Skills or Elemental Arts and even their own_ [ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVES**_ ], [ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVES**_ ] _and_ [ _ **Set Bonuses**_ ]. _It truly was a terrifying experience in a world like this. It even cut off their ability to fly. The following onslaught of skills crashed against the warriors double spears like an avalanche of stone, easily cracking through his defence it was not soon after that the elite Spear Master fell to the ground dead before exploding into the lights of death in this fantasy world._

 _Seeing their leading generals dead a cry for retreat rang throughout the battlefield for the_ [ _Seiyari_ ] _people. The warriors of the Kingdom of_ [ _Seido_ ] _roared their victory cry as they watch them flee, many pursuing the retreating enemies to slay them where they ran. Argo and Kirito looked at one another before nodding, their unique wings exploding forth from their backs causing more than just one soldier to reel back in shock, awe and wonder; before the two disappeared into the air like streaks of black and purple lightning._

 _After almost an hour of battling the war was over, it would go down in the annals of_ [ _Seido_ ] _history as the_ [ _Battle of Sueokano_ ]; _Battle of the Blood Hills. They chased down the fleeing warriors for a greater part of the day, driving them back all the way till the Western Shore before stopping their advancements and seeing the fortress that had been set up against them. They had descended on the weakly manned outpost of the_ [ _Seiyari_ ] _and as such had burnt them to the ground, leaving none alive as they surged forward in righteous anger. Blood fueled their minds as they remembered the comrades they had lost; but yet for others the thrill of fighting and flying had entered their minds as they remembered that this was a game, and yet real life at the same time. Their roars of victory could be heard vibrating through the sky as they burnt outpost after outpost to nothing but ashes that were quickly scattered in the presence of hundred beating wings. They set up a boundary of warriors around the final fortress, decided to rest and stop for the day before attempting to breach the defensive last front._

 _Kirito sighed as he leaned against a tree, letting his mind relax as fatigue crept up to him like a stalking cat just as his eyes shut to the darkness of rest._

-End Flashback-

Kirito sighed once more as he remembered what had happened that day; those five days ago. Argo had mobilized half of the remaining NPC soldiers and all attacking warriors to set up a camp around the enemies last headquarters. They had fliers stationed around the cliffs edge to ensure that none of the invading force would leave simply by boat in the dead of night. Everyone broke off into smaller parties, keeping a selected rotation of sentries to keep things posted and aware of what was going on. Argo and Kirito, alongside one of the Generals named Rakurai, stationed themselves just before one of the two gates of entry into the battle encampment.

They had had an interesting conversation one of the evenings as Kirito kept first watch, Rakurai had already disappeared to get some privacy for his rest. Argo had looked up at Kirito who sat on a tree branch, his eyes never leaving the battlement camp as he ensured that his post was kept secure. Suddenly he jerked forward, the world tilting as it went from studying the details of many wooden logs placed together, to studying the dirt on the floor as someone hugged him from behind. He could hardly see any patterns or details as the light casted forth from flickering torches disappeared to the moonlit night forest ground.

"Argo …" Kirito trailed off, giving a mock sense of annoyance at being tackled into a hug; however knowing Kirito he probably was not that comfortable with it either. Yet he stopped when he heard no audible reply from Argo, instead he stood up slowly and gently, turning around to hug Argo as she simply stayed against his body.

"Thank you Kii-bou." she finally whispered after five minutes of comfortable silence. He would never admit it to her in fear of endless teasing, but he loved the way she seem to fit into his body. Her height just perfect for him to place his lips against her head whilst simultaneously feel her wrapped around himself. He pulled back his head, looking at the curly auburn hair that flowed beautifully down her, a confused look on his face as the mask that both had used were at the moment pulled back.

"For what Argo?" he asked, confused, his eyes dancing across as he tried to gazed into her eyes.

"Always being here." came the mumbled reply as her face was pressed up against his shirt.

Silence hung around them for awhile as they just drank in the presence of the other, comfort in being in one another's arms quickly filled their minds and thoughts as they leaned on each other. He knew what she was talking about; both had no real friends in the real world, both clung on to this virtual reality as a form of escapism, a way to truly live. But even in this world, not many people wanted to befriend Argo for simply being Argo, they wanted cheaper discounts on the information she could sell, so she always had a mask on, to keep others at a distance she kept this facade of a cold and sarcastic information dealer. Yet Kirito pushed through those walls, he pushed hard and eventually got in, worming his way through all those defences and settling down inside her heart.

For him she was one of the few people who actually understood what it felt like to be alive within the game. How it was like to swing a weapon like never before, to use your entire body into an extension of the blade and to fight. He had come to know her as Argo, his friend; not Argo the information dealer. They had gotten into many witty battles over the beta, a lot of talking that spanned many nights as they either simply lazed around underneath the star filled sky or grinned low level mobs. He had seen someone so lonely, so lost with such a cold hard mask; that his heart reached out and grabbed hold of it. He remembered what it felt like to be lonely, the feeling of being trapped in endless darkness by himself with no one to talk to, no one to convey his feelings to, no one that could actually understand nor anyone that stood beside him. So he vowed that seeing her walking down a similar road he would make sure she did not feel as he did; not for long.

But now they simply hovered in the air, wings out as both floated in their embrace.

"Go back to sleep Argo, your watch comes after mine." he whispered, watching as she turned to stare up at him; the soft joyful smile contradicted by the little heartfelt pain in her eyes.

"Okay." she whispered, before tiptoeing and lightly pressing her lips against his; mouth parting slightly as they met in a kiss. Their eyes slowly fluttered open as he stared into her hazel brown pools that immersed so entirely that before he knew it he had dipped down to kiss her again.

She had parted later, brown pixels following the trail which she flew; he shook his head before turning back to look at the fortress they were to invade.

The following four days till the present were four brutal days which somehow miraculously enabled them no deaths on their sides from players. Each day they had rushed the fortress, only to be pushed back by a tide of defenders that were very insistent on keeping the last piece of ground they had first gained. He had flown with the other flyers, engaging in aerial combat with the flashing of his twin blades slicing through the remaining warriors; only to be forced to disengage when a hailstorm rain of arrows fell upon the entire army. Not wanting to expose how powerful he truly was Kirito would fall back alongside the rest of the army as to ensure that none knew of his true strength at that time to take on the entire garrison by himself and win. However now, on the fifth day of their siege Argo had enough.

"Kirito." Argo said, breaking him out of his thoughts over the last few days.

"Yes?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the wall edge; waiting for the time when the defenders would unleash a barrage of arrows upon them; Argo hadn't mastered her bow yet which was unsurprising considering he hadn't mastered his blades either.

"Go break down that gate, we're storming in today." she said with seriousness laced between her words; this caused him to turn around and look at her with one eyebrow raised. They were slightly apart from everyone else allowing his mask to be pulled back, "What?" her question vibrated through the air as she saw his facial expression.

"Why the sudden change of plans?" Kirito asked her, the general strategy had been to lay siege till this battlement came falling down like a house of cards, "I thought you didn't want us to reveal our hand just quite yet?"

The Empress sighed, running one hand through her hair as she answered, "Reports flown in from the Eastern Shores say that there are sights of another army coming in." the grumble in her attitude was obvious as though she herself wasn't happy with what was happening, "We need to destroy this place and rush back to set up defences again." He roughly heard the mumbled curse that followed afterwards.

"Alright. Sound the engage, I'll lead the land charge." ' _General Kenta_ ' confirmed as he turned around back to the encampment, drawing his twin blades and igniting them, "Get General Arashi to lead the aerial attack." he said to her, commanding the strategy of the battlefield; watching her back turn as she flew towards the other generals to inform them of the decision.

Today was not a sunny day, it was a rather wet day instead. Dark thunder clouds hung over head with flashes of lightning illuminating the sky. The rumbling of thunder set nerves on edge for many as the pattering of rain descended around them, the ground slick as dirt was turned into mud; dark brown gooey texture that was inhibiting the agility of many on the ground. Kirito looked around him, taking note of the faces surrounding him as their frontline troops got ready to storm the gates and reclaim their land. A bludgeoning sound echoed through the air as a trumpet was blown in the backlines; immediately Kirito dashed forward with a single word roaring forth that was only copied by those around him.

"Charge!"

The thudding of feet against the ground, accompanied by the sickening squishing sound of mud as it tried to drag them into the ground, the wordless cry of a charging army; that was the only sound that filled most of their minds when they crashed against the wooden wall. As they neared the door Kirito flung out his left hand, in his right [ _Teldariq_ ] held its orange hue that bathed the surrounding area despite the dull colors of grey. The moment his palm faced the large wooden gates they blew inwards as though a bomb had detonated right in front of it. The large wooden splinters flew inwards at incredible speeds, incapacitating many of the [ _Seiyari_ ] warriors, and even killing some. Above in the air he could already hear the clashing of steel against steel, the various glowing colors of _Sword Skills_ as they trailed the air; they made it seem like a light show was occurring in the air.

Kirito refocused on the battle at the ground after watching a spearhead that bounced off his invisible shield, blue hexagons briefly appearing before disappearing once more as they protected the wearer. The warrior who had swung that weapon flew backwards into a wooden structure as the force was redirected at him. He sighed before dashing underneath the swing of a spear, spinning and coming back up only to drive his now ignited [ _Void Blade_ ] through the man's chin before the blade exploded through the top of his head. Before the body could even explode into its death animation Kirito was already moving on, having killed another two more warriors. In his trailing wake all that was left was the sound of shattering glass, the bodies glowing white as they begun their death and those who shattered with the blue pixels swirling away in the wind.

He blocked a swipe from a spear, this man looked to be roughly in his mid-thirties with a gruff beard growing from the blackened stubs around his chin; it was a shame that he would never get the chance to grow it. Kirito used his wings to suddenly spin past the man, and as he did so both his blades flashed in an arc, slicing through the man's chest and waist before moving to block the downward attack of another warrior. Using the smallest amount of pressure on his blades resulted in the spear being diced into pieces, the blade too sharp to stand against normal wood. This of course resulted in the death of another warrior, both blades imbedded into his chest before being pulled out viciously for Kirito to execute another charging soldier; this time cutting through his throat. Flipping over the head of a man who had over extended his spear strike using the wings that he now had, Kirito sliced the man's head in half with a flick of his wrist as he passed by; taking to the sky for a short while before falling back to the ground and killing three men alone from his descent.

Flying along the ground till he reached the other wooden gate, Kirito deactivated his green blade and pushed his arm out till his palm faced the barrier. A black orb about fifty centimeters in diameter appeared a few meters away from the gate, sparking to life as though someone had injected energy into the very air itself. He then yanked his left arm back and watched in satisfaction as the gate was ripped apart as they flew towards the minisize portal that was sucking everything around it inwards. Once the gate had been mostly demolished alongside most of the wall surrounding it and wooden constructs within the walls, he turned back and jumped into the fray; ignoring the dying screams of warriors as they fell to the ground. The _Void Arts_ granted to him by his equipped gauntlets was strong. For now there was a selection of skills to choose from however he knew in the future once he became a master for this new skill it would only be limited by his imagination.

Within an hour the massacre was finished, the rain was now pouring down like cats and dogs whilst the yelling of the Empress could be barely heard; however everyone knew what they were supposed to do. A selected group of players, under the charge of one of the seven Generals, would be remaining at this garrison whilst a chosen few NPC crafters from the surviving region would rebuild this outpost. It would enable them a defence against anymore invading force and safeguard their Kingdom. Furthermore a group of player crafters were studying the boats which were left behind by the [ _Seiyari_ ] people, it would soon be deconstructed and plans would be made to enable the [ _Seido_ ] Kingdom access to some new technology. Blacksmiths were inspecting armor and spears that had remained after the battle as loot; Kirito observed one as he turned it, twisted it, before simply summoning the information screen with his hand and studying the weapon. A quick murmur to other similar looking people caused great nodding of heads before they reported to the Empress and left with the returning soldiers.

Kirito closed his eyes, hands behind his head, as he breathed out and relaxed. He watched as the water droplets fell and arc around his activated shield; it certainly kept him dry from the rain.

"Cheater." a voice said behind him, to which he turned around and grinned at the sight of a soaked Argo.

Yes they had another battle to prepare for, yes there would be a continuation of the war from this game event; but they would make it. They would drive back the new foe and slowly strengthen themselves before overrunning the other islands and eventually, clear the game. That was all of their goals, that was all of their lives. They were gamers. They would make it.

 **AUTHORS NOTE: Thanks to** **FlawlessMirage** **for pointing out some major points that I will be addressing here.**

 **The relationship between Argo and Kirito seems rushed because in Chapter 6 they nearly died and this resulted in them seeking emotional comfort in one another. This happens in real life after trauma and it is no surprise it happens here. I will be fleshing out the relationship more as the story goes along.**

 **The stats and information of gear is indeed boring and I apologize for that, however it is mainly for the reference of readers who later want to know how the heck did Kirito do something (eg. Him absolutely destroying the two gates in this chapter). It is a reference so that people do not nail me to a cross later due to lack of information.**

 **The overpowered characters of Argo and Kirito are done on purpose simply because when the Nephilim Angelic Beings come they will be the only ones who are really capable of going up against them; well mainly anyway there will be others.**

 **NOTE OF WARNING: I will be introducing General Arashi (AKA Rakurai) as an OC character that will be joining Kirito's group that is formed later on.**


	8. Chapter 8 - The Council

**A/N:** **Oh also, don't worry about the OP levels of Kirito and Argo for the moment, these seemingly broken characters will no longer be broken when the Nephilim descend from the sky; on the contrary they will be the only things capable of stopping the angelic beings.**

 **Also I placed up that huge wall of dry equipment text so that people will know why Kirito can do certain things, this is not like other Fanfictions where Kirito simply gains powers through a bug in the system (I was thinking of that though, giving Kirito Neo's powers from the MATRIX would be cool) but is due to his equipment. The fact that he got such gear is simply down to luck ;) thanks for reviewing everyone! Enjoy, also my PC died so uploads will be a ton slower sorry!**

 **Chapter 8 - The Council**

" _The way the Inventory works is that all players must be carrying some sort of pouch, bag or otherwise carrying item. This will allow them to access the Inventory as Seven Kingdoms Online works heavily towards a very realistic reality. When one opens up their Inventory and chooses an item to be taken out the player will retrieve said item from their pouch, bag or otherwise carrying item. To place an item into the Inventory an individual must place the item into their pouch, bag or otherwise carrying item for it to work._ " Seven Kingdoms Online: Inventory and Items

Kirito looked forth over the expanding Kingdom of [ _Seido_ ] as he floated in the air, his unique wings softly floating out from behind him. His eyes darting as he heard the sound of metal slamming against metal; the blacksmith zone alive and bustling despite the fact that the sun was just beginning to rise over the East. The sky was still dark blue and purple, a merging of colors that left one breathless as they looked upon the detailed reality of a non-reality game. Orange glow of flames flickered through the shut shutters of various metal working blacksmiths as they attempted to recreate the special metallic weapons the [ _Seiyari_ ] had used against them, weapons that had been extremely effective on most of the player based warriors that had fought to push back the invaders. Majority of soldiers had rushed back to the capital city after hearing the potential news of a new threat arising from the East; a selected few with a singular general were chosen to stay back and man the fort against any sea landing invaders. If there was sighting of the enemy they were to light a beacon to warn anyone inland.

A land filled with what seemed like savage centaurs that were soon coming to reap the land like a harvest. This hint had been more than blatantly spoken to them by various NPC's in both the market place and mysterious ones that showed up bandaged and near death. Sightings of a centaur had also rumored to have been spotted, the singular hoof beats against the ground before seemingly vanished was scoffed at and disregarded for nothing more than a false tale. Yet looking around now, it was obvious on various levels to Kirito that the Kingdom of [ _Seido_ ] took any rumor seriously at the moment, many deaths still fresh on their minds from the invading forces of the [ _Seiyari_ ]. Thinking back to the beta Kirito, and the few beta players, knew that the centaurs would be a lot worse than any [ _Seiyari_ ].

They were strong creatures, half man and half horse. Adorned completely in iron armor, their human portions of the body would be hard pressed to be hit; and considering that they charged at you with great speeds that one slamming into you could well kill you if you were unlucky; it was a little intimidating facing them in battle. They normally wielded a broadswords or battle axes or any other melee weapon in one hand whilst in the other held a large, heavy iron shield that would deflect all blows. These were the basic [ _Centauri Infantry_ ]; although where one got the idea that a half man half horse being could be infantry was beyond Kirito. The next type of soldiers they would fight were known as [ _Centauri Archer_ ]. In their hands would be a longbow, easily taller than any man with a drawback weight almost impossible to be drawn by mortal hands. Arrows fired by these bows could cut through the current armor they had like a rock through a paper wall; death would almost be instant, even with the newly upgraded iron armor. Lastly the unit that made them so dangerous was that as they were one of the older races of beings in this world they had access to something mankind had lost for eons; magic. [ _Centauri Magician_ ] were creatures capable of some terrifying magic for those seeing it for the first time. Whilst they were unlike the [ _Nephilim_ ] that fire obeyed their every beckon and the winds twisted around them like the caress of a lover; [ _Centauri Magicians_ ] were capable of granting [ _Blessings_ ] to the battalion herds of the [ _Centaurist_ ] which would increase their speed, strength, life. However their most fearsome tactic from the beta was where they would charge forward with a full herd of [ _Centaurist_ ] and then all of the galloping monsters would suddenly disappear, only to reappear right in front, or sometimes even on top, of the front line warriors.

This was known as [ _Shock Ride Pass_ ] as the players of the beta had come to call it, a dangerous passing and a very, very effective weapon against those who had never seen it before; even for those who had viewed it prior no real defense had ever been able to be conjured for such an attack. In the beta they had just placed heavily armored players in the front, hoped they didn't die, and then charged forward. But now, where death meant death, such a strategy was definitely out the window.

Kirito watched the sun rise, such a primordial force that ignored the worries, struggles and deaths of the mortals living underneath its light; insignificant to such power. He sighed before turning back down and began the motion of diving forward, his wings streamlined against his body before the world suddenly blurred around him as he flew. His target was the palace window as a meeting regarding all Generals, and the [ _Courts of Seido_ ], had been called by Empress Argo regarding strategies to fight against the upcoming war.

He flared open his wings the moment the palace window closed up upon him, gracefully his feet touched the ground without even the slightest hint of a sound. All that announced his presence was the flaring curtains, and a soft dust cloud that had risen from the ground due to disturbance. The wisp of darkness curled around his back before disappearing, fading away into the light; wings of a creature from the very depths of darkness.

Kirito looked up, his eyes scanning the palace halls through the twin eye-holes of his mask. Argo and him had decided, or well mainly Argo, to keep his identity a secret. The main reasoning for this being that now that no one knew about him, if there was ever a need for a recon mission Kirito would be able to go; after all he was Argo's most trusted friend. It also allowed him to be able to walk amongst the ' _normal_ ' people and to hear the things they said without getting any attention drawn to him. It was a good move if he was to be honest with himself. Doesn't mean he wasn't whipped by Argo though.

His black and green outfit stood out greatly against the light brown walls and nearly translucent paper walls that surrounded him. He walked along the carved crimson outlines of a dragon that circled each and every pillar that he passed, endless other doors leading to endless other rooms dotted the walls of the large hall. Each and every step he took had an unearthly grace to it, each step completely silent, Kirito allowed his wings to gain form once more and they grew out from his back. His body slowly lifted off the ground as he continued his journey to the meeting room, steps soon turn into nothing as the wings propelled him forward. If one were to look at him they would first see a very blurry outline of a person, before seeing black wisp curling off his body armor like smoke. If one were to be honest Kirito looked like death personified, and his mask certainly did not help in any sense of the matter.

Finally stopping by the door which would lead him into the [ _Council Room_ ], Kirito, AKA General Kenta, stopped a mere meter away. He watched as what seemed like shadows slowly crept along the door, and through the force of his will and mind the doors were pushed open with the power of the _Shadow Arts_. It had been two weeks since they pushed the [ _Seiyari_ ] back from their shores, three weeks since the [ _Battle of Sueokano_ ] and Kirito had finally gotten to the stage of [ _Mastery_ ] regarding the _Shadow Arts_. Now they simply responded to his will and were only limited by his imagination and mental capabilities. To those within the [ _Council Room_ ] it looked like the doors had just magically opened themselves before the most powerful, and famed, General of the [ _Seido_ ] Kingdom. He glided slowly, content with just enjoying the path that took him to the [ _Council Room_ ], nothing but gravel underfoot and grass and trees around him. Eventually he got there, and as each time before it still stunned him.

The room itself was perhaps the most exotic thing of the palace. This entire [ _Council Room_ ] was formed out of frees. Leaves joined together from twenty huge trees left nothing but a small circular opening to allow the sunlight in. It created a dazzling display as shafts of light danced through the little hole pockets and sparkled through the air. The twenty trees had been planted long ago in a circular formation and beyond that were just more trees. The entire area was an extension into the forest, joined to the palace by the way of nature. Hidden by powerful runes and magic long lost to mankind only those that the Empress allows in were allowed to enter into this safe haven. Around the middle of the circular clearing, in conjunction to each of the twenty trees, were twenty stone thrones.

Each seat was made from a single piece of solid rock, and whilst it was not the most comfortable sitting arrangement, it was still impressive to say the least. In the center was a pond, crystal clear with a shallow depth. It wasn't large, maybe only five meters in diameter whilst the chairs sat in a perfect circle about fifteen meters in diameter. However it was a significant part of the [ _Council Room_ ]. Once the debating of the council was finished the person who brought forth the main idea of that discussion, especially if it is a plan or a law, would be given the honor of walking over to the pond and dropping their plans into it; if the Empress allows so. This would immediately cause a magical effect to take place over the entire Kingdom as a new law would be implemented and notified to every player living within the Kingdom. The last time this was used was to gather all players back to [ _Seido_ ] when they regarded the [ _Seiyari_ ] invasion. Basically it was a magical pond megaphone that would reach all players wherever they were as long as they were in [ _Seido_ ] territory.

Kirito allowed his wings to dissipate, gracefully transitioning from hovering to walking as he approached his seat; which was the throne on the right hand of Argo. He looked around the clearing, taking note of the other council members but not actually knowing them. Most of them were just high level merchants, heading blacksmiths or other people of greater influence. These would indefinitely be the future [ _Guild Masters_ ] of the larger guilds that would form when they were allowed to be created. The only exception being himself who in reality whilst holding great sway over the masses as the Kingdom's most powerful General and swordsman, would hardly ever open a guild for himself to lead. He was the only General of the Army of [ _Seido_ ] to sit on the council and to him, the others held no significance. They helped in the equipping of the armies, but he had no idea who they were and any attempt to remember their names and roles would undoubtedly turn into a raging headache; better to leave those things to Argo.

"Ah! General Kenta. How gracious for you to join us." a drawled voice, laced with dripping irony, carried over the [ _Council Room_ ]. The man in question was a fat man, sitting down with a huge belly that seemed to almost spill over the throne in waves and rolls of human fat. Two guards stood behind him, in fact all the councilors, except himself, had guards standing behind them. Kirito tried to remember what the man's name was or even what did he do; but such a thing eluded him to no end.

"I'm sure General Kenta has his reasons of being reasonably late." Argo said in a cold, superior tone that didn't allow any response, towards the entire gathered council; all having been there for a good three minutes before him, "Now that he is here let us continue on with discussing the possible strategies to deal with the [ _Centauri_ ] people."

Kirito had to smile at the fact that Argo had come up to defend him, she always did see him as a child in the area of politics, swindling, hustling, subtle blackmailing and all the graceful, and yet deadly, workings of the [ _Courts of Seido_ ]. In all honesty, he was. He did not understand why people were so concerned about their reputation or about their pride; could they not put aside their greed and just focus on clearing the game? He would never understand these people.

"Gathered by rumors and hints dropped from the NPC's, it is safe to state that the [ _Centauri_ ] will attempt to invade our shores within four weeks." Argo stated, calmly and yet confidently claiming the inevitable. However this was something they had all heard before already, "We have three options; and they shall be backed and debated by those who believe in them strongest. Malyk, Head of the Merchants. State your piece."

"Thank you Empress." A blonde haired woman stood up, she looked to be at least thirty and had a petite body that was on display for all to see by her choice of clothing; hugging the very curves of her body, "Council members, surely you have not forgotten about the [ _Battle of Seuokano_ ] and how many victims we lost? Morale is low at the moment and if we do not strengthen ourselves now, the death of those 300 players will cause many to be disheartened and leave the front lines. However if we show them that we are strong, if we show them that we can protect them; they will come flooding to us." Kirito tuned her out at that, he manage to catch on to her underlying message; he was sharp despite Argo thinking otherwise when it came down to these sort of things. What she really wanted was for the player base to come rushing back and start buying equipment once again, it would mean an increase in her sales and thus more profit meaning more money for her. He sighed, the greed of many seem to never stop following humanity no matter where they went.

"Thank you Malyk." Argo said as the blonde finished her speech, polite clapping echoed around the [ _Council Room_ ] making Kirito grit his teeth and grimace behind his mask. "Head Banker Don Driago, you may voice your opinion."

 _Banking systems, huh!_ Kirito pondered. It was a recent addition to the player community proposed by Argo to make certain taxes were paid. Guilds would deposit their collective loots to trustworthy people appointed by her herself and they would never leave the safe zones for a small fee. This way the high level players could empty space from their inventory which they could later use on lower level guild members. And were they to die the empire would gain possession of everything on the certain persons account. If the member that died happened to be the guild leader the earnings could even rise to millions of Col.

All in all it was a good way to both discourage PKing and not leave good loot to the monsters when warriors fell.

The fat man that welcomed Kirito and was shut off by Argo gave a polite nod with a grin too wide for his face. A failed attempt of diplomacy, Kirito would guess. He shuffled in his seat before standing up, with some moderate difficulty!

"Dear council members! I am certain you remember our victory against the [Seiyari]. It was a great victory, albeit one painted with the blood of our brave warriors." He said lowering his voice and gaze in an attempt to sound grieving. "Alas" He raised his tone sharply. "That is the nature of war. There cannot be war without blood and if blood is unavoidable then what keeps us from staying with the already tried and safe method, albeit with some improvements. This time we hit them the moment they come into contact with our lands. We hit them once and we hit them hard with the combined army of all our kingdom. They will never see it coming and they will most certainly be tired from the journey and unorganized. We can win this way! It is a bloody way, but it is a sure way!" He said and there was some obvious admiration throughout the room.

Kirito had to admit. This guy had a silver tongue. Maybe laced with a bit of poison inside though. He spoke so easily about bloody victories and glory when he had never stepped into a battlefield. Never put his life at risk. Always slithering his way away through wordplay. Despicable.

Kirito gritted his teeth and barely managed to not voice his opinion over his. He would have his turn and then he would show the wrong of the other ways in one go.

"Thank you Don Driado" Argo said and the man settled back to his seat, a self-liking smirk plastered upon his face.

 _I wouldn't be surprised if he had rehearsed the speech beforehand._ Thought Kirito but kept it to himself.

"Hantaerufu, Hunter Master. You have the floor." Argo stated

"Thank you Empress." the person who was now addressing the council was a boy seeming to be of fifteen or sixteen years of age.

He was thin and lean, the typical green molten garments of the hunter's cloak adorned around his shoulders whilst no doubt hiding the variety of weapons that they generally had at their disposal. A longbow was looped around his shoulders. Kirito remembered that bows had just been added into the arsenal of the [ _Seido_ ] army after capturing and studying the [ _Seiyari_ ] own use of their bows. However unlike the spear tribe, their bows did not release projectiles that could essentially be used as a spear itself, but rather normal arrows. The feat of already being able to use a longbow despite it having been only days released, spoke volumes of Hantaerufu's dexterity and agility stats.

"Council members, as you know the group that I lead scouts out the land and returns with information ready to be handed out to both high government as well as the general masses. We do not only find new lands but catalogue mobs with various headings of their behavior type, shape type, form and much more." He paused and looked around the room, eyes resting upon the relaxed form of General Kenta before continuing, "We ask for your support to find out more about the [ _Centauri_ ], ready an expedition force to get a foothold in their land, a fortress; to do what the [ _Seiyari_ ] have done to us, ensuring that they do not get here as they will have to defend their mainland. If we hold our ground for long enough to prepare the army of Seido we can -"

 _That's enough!_

"You do realize what you are asking for is backing for a suicide mission right?" Kirito spoke up, obviously annoyed, interrupting the voice of Hantaerufu. A quick collection of gasps could be heard around the room. To interrupt a fellow council member whilst they spoke was extremely rude and normally would result in severe penalties; however everyone knew that General Kenta had undeniable favor with the Empress; nothing could touch him even if they tried.

"Y-yes but -" the Head Hunter stuttered for a split second, trying to cover up his flustered state; to only fail as Kirito continued on.

"We need all the people we can get, no one is allowed to die; not whilst I sit in this council; especially not a foolhardy mission like this. I would expect this of your fellow councilperson Don Driado but you have faced the battlefield! You know the pain and fear of death and yet you propose for you and your comrades to head to your deaths. They are _your_ responsibility!" He growled. A sudden wave of fear passing through everyone in the room and entrapping their minds as his mask gave off a wave of terror debuffs.

"What do you propose then General Kenta?" Argo asked, dressed in nothing but the clothes befitting of a beautiful Empress, he could see the concealed smirk as mirth danced in her eyes.

"I propose -" he began, only to be in turn cut off just as he did before.

"Wait!" a voice cried out, the blonde haired woman was now annoyed, it was evident on her face, "Your highness, how can you allow this … person … to get away with talking to the council behind a mask? I demand that he removes it this instance and talks to us face to face." A chorus of agreements was passed by the murmuring of the council members. Kirito thought about this, catching the worried gaze Argo casted towards him.

"Very well Malyk." Kirito said before commanding his mask to slide back.

He smirked as people craned to get a good look of the General that had been in the front lines since the start, one of the few people who no one knew about and was certainly powerful enough with that godlike equipment that only the Empress could seem to match. He laughed out loud when they gasped at the sight which greeted them. Kirito had hidden his face behind a swirling twisting mass of shadows, it created a wall between them in front of his face, hiding it from the view of all whilst allowing his voice to still carry through. To all who looked it seemed that there was nothing but swirling masses of shadows within the armor speaking to them.

"Wh-what?" Malyk cried out, her eyes widening as fear started to creep into the edges of her mind, "Get rid of that mask! I demand you to this instance!" she cried out, furious as a pathetic attempt to cover up her own fear.

"You all asked for what hid behind the mask. This is what lives behind the armor you all follow." Kirito said gravely and anonymously, "The darkness that none of you want to accept, but the same darkness that you all place your hopes on." his words cut through the core of every person, he shook his head as the mask slid back over his face. He would not show them his face, but he was not averse to playing with them.

"What did you have to say addressing this council General Kenta?" Argo asked, a soft smile adorned upon her lips.

"I propose an alternative solution to this predicament. We raise the defenses needed at the Eastern Shore, create a fortified wall as well as gate. The [ _Centauri Magicians_ ] cannot teleport past what they cannot see; it is a trick that many beta players know about." at the mention of those who had played before, those who had rushed off instead of staying back and helping the ones who needed it, the atmosphere of the room darkened a little; but Kirito chose to ignore that and keep going, "However we also then send a group of Hunters as scouts. Their shores are not as limited as ours, many of their cliff faces have pocketed holes which a relative few can use to hide within. But there is to be no attacking unless they themselves are attacked first; the purpose of their mission would be to find out more about our enemy, nothing more nor nothing less."

"Now many of you are simply thinking that this idea is just a mesh of the strategies I have just judged as wrong by both Don Driado and Hunterufu; here is the difference." he said leaning forward slightly, and unconsciously everyone else did so as well; anticipation thick in the air, "I propose that we set up a teaching grounds of sorts. We lost 300 players during the [ _Battle of Seuokano_ ] simply because players were unprepared for the mental fatigue cost of long drawn out battles. I suggest that we have a few of the Generals act as teachers, training them. The final details are here in this scroll and it will be passed on to all council members after this. With this, we can train up a strong core army, properly settling them into different divisions and push these [ _Centauri_ ] back as well as overcoming any future foes. Lastly my way is a bloodless way. I will not accept any deaths so this is a tactic that allows us to prevent them. That is my piece council members, thank you."

"Let us adjourn for a fifteen minute break, report back here after that and we shall put to a vote the plan." Argo announced, standing up as everyone did so before slowly walking out in pairs, the hushed murmuring already evident around them.

Argo felt a presence appear beside her, a quick flick of her eyes confirmed the black outline of Kirito. She smiled before gesturing him to follow her.

"Come with me General Kenta."

They walked past the tree line, quickly retreating into a small alcove that only the two of them knew about. Kirito had placed his hand on her shoulder; his force field down at the moment, and both them simply vanished. The ability to go invisible certainly was an easy task considering the mental strength Kirito had now.

When they finally walked past the tree barrier he let go of the invisibility, and saw the shimmering joy in Argo's eyes. He had to admit that this place was beautiful, A single large tree stood surrounded by various other kinds, the trunk of said tree split off into two, creating a 'Y' looking shape and a small place adequate for sitting; and as the two had discovered it was great for cuddling as well.

"Finally!" Argo whispered as she turned and circled her arms around his waist, her head resting upon his shoulder, "Sometime alone with my Kii-bou~."

Kirito closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her hips and held her. The first time in quite awhile. He sighed with content feeling her smaller petite body fitting perfectly against his. If anyone had stumbled across into that clearing over the course of the fifteen minute break, they would've seen the Empress hugging and holding on to the strongest general with his mask pulled back as though he was her last life line.

"Let's go back Argo, times up." the black cladded boy said softly to her as he unwrapped his arms from her hips; already missing the feeling of her body pressed against his in nothing more than a loving, innocent, embrace.

"One kiss Kii-bou." she murmured, looking up at him. Defense crumbling before her beautiful hazel eyes he dipped his head down and kissed her. Both felt that little hungry beast of need rising its head in their chest, a desire for more and more of this resulted in Kirito's fingers digging into her hips and her fingers pulling into his hair, a soft moan escaping both of them before they pulled back.

"Come on Argo, don't distract us." he teased her, a soft smile upon his lips that she had just previously meshed against.

"Whatever Kii-bou, you're no fun." she pouted as they began their journey back.

Eventually they returned to the [ _Council Room_ ], no distractions along the way thankfully; or sadly depending on how one viewed it. The council came into order as the last member sat down in their seat. The finality of decisions could already be felt in the air of the twenty members, now it was to simply see how it would pan out.

"I call this council into order!" Argo announced, "We will now vote on the various plans and decide a course of action. As per usual I shall abstain from voting and so will those who introduced their plans. Now all who agree for the plan of Malyk please raise your hands."

No hands went up and dead silence ruled the room.

"All for the plan of Hantaerufu please raise your hands."

Once more no hands were raised and the silence was nearly deafening.

"All for the plan of Don Driado please raise your hands."

Third time and no one raised their hands. The three of them looked ready to burst with anger but concealed it well. They were genuine parts of the court.

"Those for the newly introduced plan of General Kenta, please raise your hands."

Immediately all sixteen hands went up, a unanimous vote for the first time in the months of playing that had already occurred in this death game.

"It is settled then. Let it be noted that for the 17th council of the [ _Courts of Seido_ ] a unanimous vote was passed in favor of General Kenta's plan for the course of action against the [ _Centauri_ ]. General Kenta you will be in charge of this operations, I give you full power and authority to do as you need to do. The starting message shall be dropped into the pond when everything has been settled, until then this council is adjourned, dismissed."

The rising rustle of twenty people standing up before moving away again was nearly thunderous. Kirito glanced over at Argo who, as traditions dictate, had to leave with two guards behind her; she caught his eye before smiling warmly at him, then disappearing into the palace. He sighed, as he too began the journey out, now it was laid on him to prepare their army against the rising tide of the [ _Centauri_ ].

"Head Crafter Lenan!" Kirito called out, watching as the twenty year old council member turned back. He was thin, barely filling out the formal council clothing, yet beneath those baggy clothes Kirito knew that there laid an untold strength and resolve within this man. Lenan was one of the few people who he actually respected.

"General Kenta, how may I help you?" his voice was smooth and silky with each word measured closely before being spoken.

"I was wondering if you and your crafting crew would mind creating the training grounds I have had in mind. The cost will be paid of course and -"

"Please General Kenta, there will be no cost for this." Lenan said shaking his head with an intrigued smile, "You have lead every charge into battle for the makeshift army we have, the least we can do is provide you with a training ground for them."

Kirito was flustered, although thankfully his masked covered this up, he was entirely unexpectant of such grace and a wide grin split his face.

"Thank you Head Crafter Lenan, I really did not expect this at all. Thank you for such generosity." he said bowing slightly at the man who stood in front of him; never once did he dream he would be doing business with someone who was five years his senior.

"Don't worry about it General Kenta." the council member said, waving a hand dismissively, "Just pass me your plans and we can discuss the finer details at a later date."

"Certainly; thank you again Head Crafter Lenan." Kirito said, opening his palm and allowing shadows to pool over it. Considering Lenan's generosity the least Kirito could do was show the man an ability he had.

Upon completing [ _Mastery_ ] in the _Shadow Arts_ Kirito had gained a new bonus known as [ _Shadow Space_ ]. Basically he could access his _Inventory_ through the use of shadows and it had now an increase capacity to hold a lot more objects. No doubt when he finally mastered the _Void Arts_ another expansion would occur again.

Lenan watched with wide open eyes as a scroll was formed forth from the shadows of Kirito's palm before the darkness receded and in its place a blueprint scroll sat perfectly balanced in his hand. The Head Crafter looked up into the eye holes of the General, green flames flickering softly in its place with no doubt a surprised look adorned across his own face.

"Amazing." he breathed as he gingerly took the scroll.

"Thank you once more Head Crafter Lenan, I shall be on my way now." he said, turning and disappearing into the halls of the palace. Not seeing the awe-struck-wonder look in the face of that man.

As Kirito entered the palace halls, pillars on either side of them, he found the next person he was looking for. A brunette haired girl, or previously brunette as now it was a bright fluffy pink with pins woven through it to keep back the bangs, with chocolate brown eyes was leaning against a pillar whilst talking to another council member. Her in game name was Lisabeth and she was the top blacksmith in the province of [ _Seido_ ]. Whilst she was not a council member she always followed Nakurama, Head Blacksmith, to these council meetings as one of his chosen representatives; in Kirito's personal opinion it was for the big man to show off his hand.

He knew her from run ins during the early stages of the game. He had found her after she had just failed three upgrades for three different people; their jeering and anger towards her was uncalled for and he had felt a rising anger surged through him. He had quickly walked in front of them, asking her if she could upgrade his blade for him; and her disbelieving eyes with the faint spark of hope was all he needed to see. She had succeeded and from that day on she had become his personal blacksmith that he always returned to. However after having to fold into the role of General Kenta, Kirito hardly had time to go out anymore; plus his gear did not really need any maintenance and if he did show it to anyone it would just raise a lot of questions. He still tried to pop by every now and again, but their meetings had diminished in frequency and talks even more so. He knew she was currently considered an ' _apprentice_ ' to the Head Blacksmith, and as such if he found her he would find her teacher.

"Head Blacksmith Nakurama!" he called out as he took graceful strides towards the duo blacksmiths.

"General Kenta, what an honor. How may I help you?" the man asked. He had thick black bushy eyebrows with arms the size of Kirito's head. He stood at an intimidating height of 2.3 meters and was built like a tanky bear. It was no wonder he was the head blacksmiths, he could probably bend iron with his bare hands; the palms were easily the size of his own face. A massive beard covered the strong jawline he had whilst continuing to give him the look of a berserker.

"I was wondering if I could get your assistance in the matter of this training ground." Kirito asked, eyes glancing over to Lizbeth before refocusing on the Head Blacksmith. The use of honorific names was something that Argo had commanded within the palace walls and for council members to council members. It was to ensure honor and respect, even when there was none to be given internally; it also solidified an ' _upper class_ ' of the Kingdom of [ _Seido_ ] to truly hook in the current council members into the [ _Courts of Seido_ ]; a devious move, "I'll be needing a lot of weapons and armor to equip this army as well as maintain their gear. I'm certain your shops would gain a huge bonus in people rushing to get maintenance done."

"Certainly General Kenta. Just pass me a list of your needs and I will get straight to it." the blacksmith confirmed, his voice deep like the hits of a drum, or the plucked strings of a base.

Having called forth the necessary scroll before entering this conversation Kirito simply handed over the scroll, bided them a good day and left; his mind already fluttering through the various necessary people he needed to find and talk to.

As exited the palace gates he saw the green molten cloak of Head Hunter Hantaerufu; a quick yell of his name caught his attention and caused him to turn around, waiting for Kirito to reach him.

"General Kenta." a simple nod of his head in acknowledgement towards the strongest player in their Kingdom.

"Head Hunter Hantaerufu I was wondering if you had anyone you could spare for teachings on archery?" he asked the sixteen year old teenager, "With us suddenly getting the bows we need we can now train a sizable force to be archers, knowing that amongst your scouting team are the best shots; would you be willing to spare one of them?"

"I would be willing. Notify me or my second in command when you have established the necessary logistics and we will see what we can do. Now if you will excuse me." the Head Hunter said before turning around and simply walking away.

Kirito sighed, no doubt that teenager was angry at him for shutting down his idea. He walked along the road for awhile, thoughts fluttering around how this training ground could be properly set up.

From previous talks with Argo he knew that this training ground would be called the [ _Taisai no Seido_ ] or for a shorter name; [ _Academy_ ]. It would be a huge academy which would train the players in how to fight and survive this death game. The training was required for every player registered under the army and was compulsory in teaching them how to fight as one large group, how to pace themselves and how to know which _Sword Skills_ to use at what time and in what circumstances. It would further split the player army up into various divisions and battalions; allowing for quicker command and structure amongst the hundred of thousands of players in the Kingdom of [ _Seido_ ] alone. The classes would rotate between the various players and also those that would be duty at that moment. It would be a single teacher teaching a group with one-on-one teachings only being done by a General; or later after the first batch of trainees, a recognized individual who was capable of teaching. The first batch would be the smallest, they would be the ones who were going to be trained into the teachers, the leaders, the other administrators. They were the ones who would form up the rest of the skeleton of the army, the chain of command, whilst later batches would form under them.

When players entered this training ground they would be assigned a particular title. It started with: [ _Trainee_ ], an individual who would've just entered the [ _Academy_ ]. Following this was when the player passed the test set and entered [ _Apprentice_ ], however this did not necessarily mean they were learning under a master; yet at the same time if a General or someone who is of the same recognized level, decides to take an individual on as a person apprentice then they would be known as [ _Legacy of *insert name*_ ]. Graduating that tier the next was [ _Warrior_ ] where they would fall under the various branches of the army. But for those that became a [ _Legacy_ ] they would graduate whenever their teacher deemed so but would not change their title. From here the increase of titles and tiers go as: [ _Captain_ ] for those in charge of a group of one hundred [ _Warriors_ ], [ _Weapons Master_ ] for those recognized as specialist in a certain area of their fighting capabilities, [ _General_ ] is used for those known by the [ _Academy_ ] and by the Empress as individuals capable of such great battle strength that they lead an entire [ _Battalion_ ] alongside the other [ _Generals_ ] of other [ _Battalions_ ] and lastly you have [ _Executor Primarch_ ] the person who is charge of all the [ _Generals_ ].

Of course later on there would be additions to the army including separate secret divisions or specialist units, but those were for the farther future; this army ranking and structure was for the now. In all honesty Kirito was pretty happy with himself, such a precise and concise idea for the [ _Academy_ ], of course anyone was welcomed to increase the structure through him or Argo if it was deemed fit; but for now that would do.

However quickly he shook his own head before allowing his wings to come alive and he disappeared in a blur. He had many other people to find before such a dream of organized army could be realized as a reality.

Later as the sun went down from the sky, setting it behind the west, Kirito landed near an inn tavern that was outside of the main Kingdom. He could hear the chattering of players as they ate and drank there, having a good time after what was most likely a full day of grinding mobs. With a different full armor set equipped Kirito walked through the front door, pushing it open and taking a look inside. He didn't want the people here to know General Kenta had come for a visit.

The inn tavern was relatively spacious, the bar counter on the left with a kitchen behind whilst all in front of him were tables and chairs filled with both players and NPC's releasing a day of stress from their body. On the right sat a burning fireplace, the soft wift of smoke already evident in the air as well as a light smoke fog. Towards the far end of the room there was a flight of stairs leading up to the second floor, an extension of the dining area for this place. Across the street was where the residents truly stayed, rooms that were lightly and humble furnished with the most basic necessities. But what Kirito was looking for was neither drink nor lodging, he was looking for a group of players that called themselves Fuurinkazan. Their leader was known as a man named Klein, a soft ironic smile settling over the face of Kirito as he knew that was the same man he had met the first day of this death game.

He spotted the red bandana wrapped around their leaders head and walked over to the fireplace. He placed his hand on Klein's shoulders, laughing at the shocked features as the man lumbered around; the flickering flames casting shadows along the floor that were quickly countered with lights from the various lamps. A grin split both their faces when they finally saw one another, ignoring the confused look of the other players.

"Klein, I have a proposition for you."

 **AUTHORS NOTE: Hey guys sorry for taking so long to upload this, my PC died and I'm currently using an old laptop. Updates will be coming slower for this so yeah, sorry!**


	9. Chapter 9 - The Apprentice

**Chapter 9 - The Apprentice**

" _The creating of specific functions within safe zones of a city's immediate vicinity can be done so by the Ruler of the Kingdom. Furthermore the creation of additional temporary and permanent safe zones for new construction sites, or further outpost, can be controlled once again by the Ruler of the Kingdom. This can include new titles for players in an area or a new safe haven. Only a Game Master or a Divine Immortal can even begin thinking of breaching these established safe zones. They require 24 hours to set up and another 24 hours to settle into the land, for every passing hour after that the safe zone becomes stronger._ " ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Rulers Authority

It had been five months since the start of the [ _Academy_ ], but they were no closer to ending the [ _Four Island War_ ] than they had been since the [ _Battle of Seuokano_ ]. The [ _Centauri_ ] had been calculated to attack them after a month from the pushing back of the [ _Seiyari_ ], however two months passed before the Kingdom of [ _Seido_ ] finally decided to send scouts to both islands around them, wanting to check and see what was going on; what they found shook them.

Two scouts who had returned from the groups expedition into both the land of the spear wielding warriors and the half man half horse, now stood before the entire [ _Court of Seido_ ] and presented their findings. Both looked battered, they had been living in harsh conditions for the last two weeks and had only returned one day before, yet here they stood with back straight, eyes confident and presented their case before the ruling powers of the Kingdom.

"Speak Lavista and Hanan, Hunters of the [ _Kinoshin_ ], the [ _Court of Seido_ ] recognizes you." Argo stated, calm and collected as she stared at the presented scouts.

"Thank you Empress. We have returned from the two week scouting expedition into [ _Centauri_ ] land and now return with this information." the female spoke, her blonde hair in a tight pony tail that descended to her mid back, crystal blue eyes the same as the sky with the green molten cloak of the Hunters strapped on to her back, a longbow wrapped around her shoulders, "The fourth island has unleashed a devastating attack upon the [ _Centauri_ ] people. They are known as the [ _Toririka_ ] and are essentially harpies; half bird and half human. They have access to limited fire magic. The description of their physical appearance resides upon the report scrolls handed out to the council. Whilst they do not have magic equivalent to that of the [ _Centauri Magicians_ ], which from our reports confirms the rumors of their capabilities, they have unhindered flight; it seems to be their main way of moving around. Their primary weapon of fighting are bolts of fire which they create within their palms and fling with force strong enough to puncture through iron armor. Their average level seems to be about a hundred."

The second scout now spoke up, he was a tall man with earth brown eyes and a strong physique; the same molten cloak and longbow wrapped around him in a familiar manner. As he spoke his voice carried confidence and the authority of someone who witnessed the event first hand.

"Their normal tactics are simple. If faced in an open battle where both lines are initially drawn up the male [ _Toririka_ ] will charge forward with hand-to-hand combat in mind. However when they begin to fight often they will simply place an open palm against the chestplate of an opponent before igniting a shaft of fire leaving no chance of retaliation nor reaction before they are dead with a shaft of fire through their chest. The females on the other hand generally take to the air and fling bolts of fire into the ranks of their enemies. So far, from what we have seen, shields of any material we known now will not be able to stop these attacks. The only thing that seems to stop them are stone or mounds of dirt." He looked around the council room before continuing, maintaining eye contact the entire time with one person or another, hand gestures around him signifying the importance of his message, "However their normal tactics are not open warfare, they fight with guerilla tactics in mind and hit from all points of the day. Morning, afternoon or night; none make a difference to them. They strike hard and they strike fast, before quickly vanishing before retaliation can occur; not many of the [ _Seiyari_ ] ever survive their raids."

"Yet their strength is also their weakness. They have never been drawn into a full out committed frontal battle; they have no idea in how to wage war like that. Instead they harass and harass and harass until their target is sufficiently weak enough that they their next raid leaves everyone dead. The moment true resistance is put up they slink away like cowards." the female snarled, obviously displeased with such cowardice, "It takes roughly 3 seconds for them to form and release a fire bolt. They believe themselves as a superior race due to their magical capabilities and do not take prisoners. There is no interest in gold or silver in any kind, but only love the flesh of roasted enemies. They wear no armor asides from some basic breastplates made from hardened wood. That is all we have to report to you council. Thank you for your time."

Wings protruded forth from their shoulder blades, bird wings, whilst claws and the scaly skin decorated their fingers and toes. They had sharp angular faces with black beady eyes with tufts of feather sticking out at their joints. This was what was displayed in a realistic drawing of a [ _Toririka_ ] as it had its arm back, ready to hail down fire bolts to slay their enemies.

"Thank you for your efforts Hunters, you shall find rewards for both you and your entire group waiting for you by the door." Argo stated with a soft smile and thankful eyes, "Councillors, this meeting is adjourned until further notice. Dismissed." she stated as she stood up, walking out gracefully back into the palace with the [ _Executor Primarch_ ] walking alongside her as well as Head Hunter Hantaerufu. Meeting the party by the door were the ten Generals of the army. They had decided on getting the number of Generals to a full whole number despite the fact that they had no where close enough numbers to form a full [ _Battalion_ ].

The party entered into one of the rooms along the long large hallway. Before them, as they passed the door boundary, was a large round stone table with a map crafted from a single slab of marble sitting upon it at about waist height. Each island had various wooden constructs, forest, lakes and rivers, all crafted from wood and colored accordingly so. It was definitely an impressive work of art that allowed the war leaders to plan a strategy. As more and more information was passed on to their intelligence force various maps of various things had begun to appear along the walls of the octagon shaped room, which was known as the [ _Strategy Room_ ]. This was where the Generals and war leaders of the [ _Seido_ ] Kingdom had been planning their strategies for the last three months.

"The news is certainly most … disturbing." one of the Generals stated. She had long black hair that reached down to her waist and wore a linen one piece that allowed her great flexibility; adorned across her body were scattered pieces of armor to protect her. Both her arms were wrapped up in the grey and red armor with the swirling pattern design. Across her chest was another piece of the same armor whilst both her outer thighs and shins were covered as well. Red leather boots covering her legs. She had a soft face with sharp features of a soft high cheekbone line, thin lips and a strong jaw line. Her heart shaped face framed perfectly by her hair and in all honesty she was an absolute beauty. Her black almond shaped eyes stared with both a mixture of warmth and coldness. General Nagawa was about twenty-three years old.

"You could say that again." this time it was General Arashi, General Storm. He was an average height boy, about fifteen years of age, with an extremely slim build. He was incredibly thin and almost what you could call gaunt like. He had a longer face, smooth curves along his cheeks and silky short black hair that hugged his face with twin onyx colored eyes that seemed to peer right through a person's soul or eyes that just never seemed to be there, "So now we have to deal with flying fire birds; great. Just when I thought this death game couldn't get any better."

"At least they are currently preoccupied by the [ _Centauri_ ] and [ _Seiyari_ ]." this lady had long blond hair, the color of ripe wheat, and wore a bright green dress with a dark cape which gave her the appearance of fresh plant shoots breaking through the earth as patterns and swirls were sown through the cloth. Also a crown of woven corn leaves and adornments of poppies, and had a sweet distinctive scent of rainstorm over a field of jasmine. However her peaceful and gentle appearance was not to be fooled as weakness, she was second to only the [ _Executor Primarch_ ] in terms of combative skills. Even if her eyes were a lustrous warm brown that seemed to scream comfort. Her name in the game was known as General Shukaku and she wielded twin golden swords into battle.

"Not for long, and if we allow them to gain control of the other islands -" General Shiage was never allowed to finish. She was an interesting one, tall and lean. Chocolate brown hair flowed down to her waist as they framed her sharp looking face. Every line perfectly, and accurately, defined as well as standing out. She had a small mouth that seemed to be in a flat neutral line constantly, dark brown eyes stared intensely at the origin of her interruption. Her hands gripping the stone table tightly.

"What will they do then? We can always make a peace treaty with them." this time it was a fourteen year old boy who spoke. His name was General Ko, and despite his smaller appearance and youth, he was a terrible sight to behold on the battlefield. He had light brown hair that sat messily on his head with bright blazing green eyes that sparkled with mirth constantly. He had the air of a child like innocence around him that caused many to just enjoy being around him, whilst others infuriated by his youth. Yet he did hold a childish wisdom that seemed beyond his years that at the same time held the minxing laughter of a child.

"The [ _Toririka_ ] are not going to simply stop and lay down you foolish child. They want control over all four islands to access the hidden temple treasure. They will stop at nothing to gain what they want, and so must we." the growling voice of General Kyojin spoke, his low voice like the rumbling of thunder with the hidden strength of a thousand blows. He was a large man, standing at two meters in height; his domineering size was coupled with huge arms and a body built like that of a bear. Crimson red eyes glowered from beneath his deep set eyes, strong bushy eyebrows nestling above the orbs of blood. His jawline was as though chiseled from stone whilst every feature of his face screamed masculine. Locks of red hair hung forth from his head, resting around his shoulders whilst a thick red beard flowed down from his face to his upper chest.

"Yet brute force isn't always the answer General Kyojin." The quick reply originated from none other than General Shizu. She was about medium height with chest length hair the color of faded grey as though all substance had been leeched from it. Her twin grey eyes seemed to have the reflection of someone who thought about a million things a second, her sharp small nose as well as slightly puckered lips made her an interesting sight. She was dressed in black, grey and white garments that swirled around her like the pooling of decay itself. Yet out of all of the Generals she was known to be the strategist, the one who thought the fastest, the one who was at most peace with herself than anyone else, "Sometimes a sharper keen mind will do the job your muscle can not."

"You guys are always bickering. Stop it." the General known as the peacemaker, or otherwise General Heigun, stood at about one point eight meters tall. He had blond to light chestnut colored hair as well as crystalized blue eyes that seemed to be like the clear ocean waters that surrounded their island. He had a strong chiselled jawline that was currently gritted in exasperation at the group's lack of teamwork. He had one fist firmly planted against the stone table as he chastised the two bickering Generals, one of mind and the other of brawn. At least it could not be said that their war council did not have character or color.

"What is the plan Executor?" one of the two remaining unspoken Generals asked. The one who spoke looked about nineteen with interesting features that had been editted by the game system. He had navy blue colored hair that had been buzz cut on the side whilst trimming the top, giving him an extremely aesthetic look of an army general. His eyes were the same deep sea blue that hinted towards a mystery lying beneath the surface with powers and strength beyond imagination. His lips were currently pressed into a thin line, as though he had sucked on a lemon, as he looked before the current map before them; this was an issue that needed an immediate response towards. He was, at the moment, wearing a dark blue armor that covered his body, shoulder guards holding straps into place whilst the elaborate swirls and patterns carved into it gave off the feel of an ancient Japanese samurai warrior. General Mizumi.

"We need to do something and quickly." the last General said. She was an absolute exotic beauty amongst all the men and women. With silver shoulder length hair and bright marble white eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness; and with a physique that screamed agility and flexibility along with her litheness, she was a powerful and influencing General. She was adorned in a white and silver linen dress that had pieces of armor dotted around, sweat pooled at her eyebrows hinting towards the lately finished sparring or workout session that she had been a part of. She looked like a princess ready for war, not afraid of bloodshed nor gore nor violence; but one that saw it as a necessary evil to accomplish the greater good; General Exota, "Your plan Executor?"

Kirito looked out from behind his mask as all ten Generals, as well as Head Hunter Hantaerufu, turned to look at him. He had been forced to accept the role of [ _Executor Primarch_ ] of the [ _Seido_ ] army after the establishment of the [ _Taisai no Seido_ ], to be a leader amongst leaders; it was logically presumed that since he was the one who came up with the idea it was only right that he led the army. There had been a huge struggle, debates and arguments, and of course a lot of testing, but eventually the War Council had decided unanimously that the previously known General Kenta was to be the [ _Executor Primarch_ ]. Now though he wasn't sure to regret the decision or accept it and move on with life; a combination of both was probably the best idea.

"Head Hunter Hantaerufu, how comes the archery and scouts training?" he asked the direct question.

"We have around a hundred ready scouts, this includes the scouting team that just returned from their expeditions." the Head Hunter reported casually, "The archery units are getting better, recurve bows have been handed out as the standardized weapon and we have over four hundred being trained at this moment."

"Four [ _Tani_ ]." Kirito breathed, "Impressive."

The current army structure went like his. The [ _Executor Primarch_ ] would lead the ten [ _Generals_ ]. Each [ _General_ ] was in charge of a [ _Battalion_ ] which was supposed to be constructed from ten [ _Tani_ ]. Each of these [ _Tani_ ] were led by a [ _Captain_ ] that presided over the hundred soldiers within each [ _Tani_ ]. Lastly in each [ _Tani_ ] the groups are further broken off into [ _Parties_ ] which consisted of ten people which were led by their [ _Party Leader_ ]. However at this moment the army of [ _Seido_ ] did not have anywhere near the amount of properly trained soldiers to even attempt their structure yet. They had pockets here and there but nothing major nor serious, they needed more trained batches to fill up their army.

Many people had questioned the need for such structure and organization, it was then reminded to the hundred of thousands of people within their Kingdom what had happened during the [ _Battle of Seuokano_ ]; where 300 players lost their lives because they had no idea on how to fight prolonged battles. It was reminded to them that whilst this was a game, it was not the typical MMORPG, there was skill required more than just using the preset abilities of the game. Those of the previous army were compulsorily engrafted into the training program whilst application forms were wide open for the general public. The rewards of being part of the army was the pay in Col as well as the loot in equipment, crafting material and other items that one gained from raids and the battlefield.

There were few specializations at the moment, but some people prefered to be in those specialized units than in the main army body, such as the Hunters that Hantaerufu led. Those that refused to join, such as the occasional older person, or young kids, or just those that did not want to participate; were asked to assist on the NPC farms that were well protected, or asked to help the Crafters and Blacksmiths in their jobs. Of course there were those that ignored the authority structure, defying it and intent on creating anarchy where every person lived for themselves and the strong took from the weak; however they were exiled by Argo and within weeks reports of their deaths from the wild came in. That caused fear to surge through the people and give them an incentive to follow the Empress Argo.

But now back to the present.

"No other [ _Battalions_ ] or [ _Tani_ ] are ready are they?" Kirito asked no one in particular, his godlike equipment armored upon his body; the black mask hiding his face as the fifteen year old led an entire War Council in this gaming world.

"None Executor." came the reply from General Arashi.

"How goes the oversight of training for the first batch?" he asked the entire room, statistics needed to be known if they were to be planned correctly.

"They are doing well, most have succeeded the [ _Trainee_ ] stage and are starting well into the [ _Apprentice_ ] stage." General Shukaku stated, her arms folded across her chest as she looked at the map and back to the Executor

"Head Hunter, did any of your scouts see the number of elite, or champion, level mobs amongst our new enemy?" Executor Kenta questioned; no one having a firm grasp of where this was going in any manner.

"They've stated that the most they have seen were ten in total; they're normally larger and stronger and have a greater affinity with fire." was the reply that he got.

Nodding Kirito stated his plan.

"We can do nothing now in preparations of our defence as we were before. Except I now want the setting up of the sentry towers we were talking about earlier to be carried out immediately. Head Hunter Hantaerufu, I want you and Head Crafter Lenan to settle out those towers. We need strong flyers and strong archers stationed in those sentry towers." Kirito assigned the first job as he got a confirming nod from the Hunter, "The rest of you, keep training the First Batch, however I want each and everyone of us to grab a [ _Legacy_ ] from the current class of students today. I will meet you all at the [ _Academy_ ] and we shall oversee the [ _Party_ ] battles today. Train them and make them strong in the terms of battle combat. We'll need more strong units to take out these monsters. Also, Generals I want you and your future apprentices to hunt down unique mobs for stronger equipment; we're going to need all the help we can get. Dismissed."

"Executor." they said as one as they got up before exiting the room with the hushed whispers of talking.

Kirito sighed knowing that in a way he had just signed his own torture. Getting an apprentice was going to be hell for him, he wasn't even that good at teaching anyway; that is according to him, no doubt Klein and Argo would disagree for the sake of riling him up. He quickly walked out of the palace halls and the moment he stepped foot outside of the enclosed space his wings came to life and allowed him to disappear in a flash of black. He soared through the air, spinning and reveling in the feeling of freedom that he gained through this experience. The feeling of wind, no matter if it was artificial or not, against his skin, the weightlessness of flight and the intoxicating feeling of having your gut squirm as you soared was something that he would not trade for the world.

His eyes scanned the ground just as he slowed his flight, getting to the [ _Academy_ ] in a manner of seconds due to his empowered and enhanced flight capabilities; then again the distance between the training grounds and the palace were not that far in all brutal honesty. The [ _Academy_ ] was simple. There was a large marble wall perimeter that stretched on for a quite the distance. It was shaped largely in an octagonal shape. Their entire ground was split equally into eight sections with eight different marble walls drawing the boundaries through the various sections. To the north was the [ _Medical Wing_ ] and beside it on both right and left were the [ _Hall of Apprentices_ ] and [ _Battle Training Ground_ ] respectively. The former was for the teaching and training of _Sword Skills_ and the general battle arts, to increase the soldier's battle combative effectiveness and was solely for the batch of students that made it past [ _Trainee_ ] and into [ _Apprentice_ ]. However the later was for realistic [ _Party_ ] against [ _Party_ ] or similar spars for the building of teamwork and for players to take what they learn in class outside of class and into their own words. Next to the former was the [ _Archery Wing_ ] where all archer [ _Tani_ ] were being trained.

Following this was the [ _Library_ ] which held a great store of knowledge needed on the art of battle and strategy, it was a place that would mainly be used by later those ranked as [ _Party Leader_ ] or [ _Captain_ ] or any future [ _Generals_ ] in the training. Beside this was the [ _General's Sanctuary_ ] for the Generals of the army, it was spacious as it held their own training ground, living quarters, kitchen, medical wing, armory as well as their own restricted library. The only other people allowed into this area were any [ _Legacies_ ] being taken on by the [ _Generals_ ]. The conjoined neighbour was the [ _Armory_ ] where a few chosen blacksmiths and crafters resided in the case of needing new weapons or maintenance of equipment. Lastly the section that laid on the west was the [ _Trainees Hall_ ] which was essentially the same thing as the [ _Hall of Apprentices_ ] but instead reserved solely for [ _Trainees_ ].

All of these eight sections conjoined towards a singular point in the center of the large grounds. In that singular point was a octagonal room with a fountain splayed in the middle, it was for the purpose of allowing quick access from one place to another. However along all the conjoining walls were large gates that allowed students to pass from one area to another as needed. Yet separated from this main grounds were the living quarters of the [ _Trainee_ ] and [ _Apprentice_ ] ranked students. It was situated towards the East and were large blocks of wood with dotted holes as windows and the paper sliding doors. Within were many living spaces for those who had nowhere else to go, each room was decently sized with the bare minimum necessities: a bed, wardrobe, table, chair and a lamp. Each living accommodation had hundreds upon hundreds of rooms and in total over the four blocks, as well as the other blocks that were coming soon, there would be over a hundred thousand holding capacity within these accommodations. There was a single [ _Mess Hall_ ] where the students could eat meals that resided near their accommodations; it forced fellowship and team building relationships to be built due to the close proximity players had with one another constantly; girls and boys were separated obviously with NPC guards set to patrol the grounds. This training program was calculated to last a year in total before players were ready for the title [ _Warrior_ ]. Three months for [ _Trainee_ ] and nine months for [ _Apprentice_ ].

Zooming past those buildings Kirito saw the running vast group of teenagers and young adults simply having fun and relaxing in the company of one another. It wasn't that odd that most of the people who joined the forming army were teenagers, who as this generation were heavily immersed into the gaming and virtual world, as well as the younger adults who no doubt grew up with the technology of games and never really broke away in the first place. Although it would be awkward if they found out a fifteen year old was leading their entire army.

Kirito finally touched down, his landing completely silent as he stood on one of the high walls overlooking the [ _Training Ground_ ], the other Generals landing quietly beside him as all eleven of the strongest battle competitors of the Kingdom of [ _Seido_ ] watched the mock trials that was happening. The [ _Party_ ] battles were held for those who were in the [ _Apprentice_ ] category to strengthen teamwork. Students had all chosen their groups, these would be the people who they would live life with over the entire course whilst at the [ _Academy_ ] and even possibly graduate into the army with.

The current two teams that were fighting in the jungle terrain that had been set up were the teams known as [ _Sleeping Knights_ ] and [ _Fuurinkazan_ ]. One was led by [ _Party Leader_ ] Klein, the goofy young adult who came in with his crew, and who were handpicked to enter this [ _Academy_ ] by Kirito himself. The other was a group that consisted of an oddly relaxed bunch of people, they seemed to laugh in the face of danger and had excellent team work; as if they had worked together for a long long time. The [ _Party Leader_ ] was someone he had not seen in quite awhile, the last time he had was carrying her out from a dungeon into a forest after she burnt herself out from fighting; she somehow fitted in the group well, but yet at the same time did not, as if she herself was an anomaly amongst other anomalies.

Her name was Yuuki and Kirito watched in awe as she struck with fury and vengeance. She was extremely slim with her body curving slightly in certain areas, her lustrous and gorgeous long purple hair swaying in the wind, splayed out behind her like the wings of a death angel. Her eyes were crimson red, like the blood that was lacking in this game with purple tinges on her pale white skin. She was wearing obsidian half-armor which covered her chest, hugging a bluebottle violet blouse and a windswept dress of the same color beneath the armor. A thin black sheath hung chained to her waist whilst a jet black obsidian sword danced in her hands with the spiralling colors of the _Sword Arts_.

He watched as the two [ _Parties_ ] crashed into one another, the flashing of colors bathing the green, brown and black enviroment which they fought in. Due to special programming of the games software, as well as options available to Argo as she was Empress, the entire [ _Training Ground_ ] allowed players to attack each other till the point of _Final Stand_ , after that they become invulnerable and rooted to the spot in whatever form they fell with an invulnerable protection field around them until the battle was over. Kirito watched with fascination as one of the [ _Sleeping Knights_ ] members dodged underneath a swing from one of Klein's men before lashing out with their own purpled colored _Two-Hit Sword Skill_ that cut painfully across the man's chest and then neck; an instant kill into _Final Stand_.

Yet across the battle the young Executor watched as Klein parried, and interrupted, the flow of a _Four-Hit Sword Skill_ before stabbing his own crimson katana deep into the gut of the opponent before slicing upwards with a jerk, sending them backwards whilst red crystal pixels exploded forth from their wound; the closest equivalent of blood they got in the game. They fell backwards onto the ground as they entered the immortalized _Final Stand_ , taken out of the fight.

"Impressive." one of the Generals murmured and Kirito turned over to see what he was looking at; and indeed it was impressive.

Yuuki, who had her purple-blackish short wings out, was dancing against the onslaught of three [ _Fuurinkazan_ ] members. She dodged underneath the blazing orange colored blade as it flashed across her head before spinning and pushing off a rock at her feet to dodge the slash of a sword, only to deliver her own three hit response that ' _killed_ ' one and sliced the arm off another. She kicked off the ground and backflipped through the air with the help of her wings whilst her blade flashed dangerously close, staving off the attackers for a few seconds. The moment her feet touched the ground she was off again, she made quick work of another [ _Fuurinkazan_ ] member, leaving him as a torso alone as his other three limbs were sliced off before a blade to his chest sent him well past into the _Final Stand_ zone.

By right that sort of attack would have killed him and bypassed the _Final Stand_ , however thanks to the programming of the area, even that would not be enough for death. After the battle was over all wounds would be healed at the medical wing and they would be fine, at the current moment they would only just see the world normally without being able to feel their limbs. Any attempt to do such things outside of the [ _Training Grounds_ ] would result in failure as the system would stop the blade from even getting close to the players skin. The wonders and gifts of programming.

The last opponent standing before Yuuki managed to duel her for quite a few seconds, both parrying and attacking with their blades. However it was over when the black and purpled haired girl unleashed a barrage of slicing _Sword Arts_ that seemed to merge from one skill into the other, a flawless flow of what beta testers have called the Sword Chain. She faltered once, but by that time the girl in front of her was covered in the crisscrossing lines of a blade slicing through the body before she slumped to the ground out of the fight.

"[ _Sleeping Knights_ ] have won this [ _Party_ ] battle!" a thunderous voice cried out and cheers and applauses could be heard echoing out through the stands, "The undefeated champions stand tall!"

"She was certainly impressive." General Arashi said, "That last Sword Chain was incredible."

"Yeah, I counted like what, five _Three-Hit Sword Skills_ chained together?" General Nagawa said, stunned in amazement.

"That's nothing, all of us can chain incredible amounts together." General Kyojin scoffed, his arms crossed and a glare directed down towards the girl who had no idea she was being appraised by the [ _Generals_ ] of the army.

"Except that she has speed and accuracy that I doubt you have Kyojin." Shiage commented, a little smirk playing along her lips.

"How dare you women!" Kyojin thundered with a roar, fury written on his face whilst the other Generals snickered and laughed.

"Enough you two." Kirito said with a grin hidden behind his mask, "Stop making such a racket, if you want to yell at each other so much find a bedroom and go release some stress." he teased causing an even louder round of laughter to now surround the two furiously blushing Generals.

"Executor Kenta!" Shiage screamed, "H-how dare … what … Arghh!" she exclaimed throwing her hands into the air whilst her face became even redder, causing more laughter; some descending into the silent laughter where one is laughing so hard no sound comes out.

He simply let out a chuckle before jumping down from the wall, wings flaring as they helped him gently glide down without a sound. He stood before both [ _Fuurinkazan_ ] and the [ _Sleeping Knights_ ], NPC medics, and a few player based ones, already on the scene to reattach limbs. The moment they saw him everyone hushed, the chattering stopped; the tension only grew when the ten Generals flew down, landing on the ground beside him.

"Executor and Generals, what do we owe this to?" the head NPC medic spoke up, ironic that the players were hiding behind the authority of an NPC, even if it was ranked higher than they were in the structure.

"I would like to speak to [ _Apprentice_ ] Yuuki privately for a few moments if she does not mind." Kirito said, looking at the girl who was about his nose height; then again he was shorter than most of the older teenagers and young adults; but none challenged his position for they had seen him fight and none in [ _Seido_ ] could best him in a duel, "Also this is an announcement for all students at the [ _Academy_ ], the ten [ _Generals_ ] behind me will be choosing a [ _Legacy_ ] each. If you are chosen and you accept the offer, pack up everything you have and move into the [ _General's Sanctuary_ ] at their accommodation. It will not be an easy task, you will be pushed, you will cry and you will fight; only the ones with the greatest potentials are being chosen for this position. Dismissed."

Kirito turned around, his cloak billowing behind him dramatically as he walked into one of the doors that allowed the combatant teams into the lower grounds for the [ _Training Grounds_ ] whilst higher up, above the mid way walls were rows and rows of seats which many of the other students sat in with anticipation whilst they watched the [ _Party_ ] battle. He could hear the quiet footsteps of Yuuki behind him, and once they were alone in the [ _Ready Room_ ] he stopped and slowly turned around. He took in the details of her face, she was at the most only fourteen years old, a single year younger than him; but already had the eyes of a hardened warrior. She was vastly different from when he had first met her and she had no hope of living anymore in this death game. Now her eyes held mirth, joy and the promise of laughter if one was to stay around her; but at the same time held loneliness and tiredness.

"I'm sure you know why I have asked you here Yuuki." Kirito said after the pause, "I would like to extend the offer of [ _Legacy_ ] to you."

"Do I have to leave my [ _Party_ ]?" she asked quietly, softly.

"In a way." he replied, "You will train directly under me and no longer participate in the class lessons. In that way you will have to leave your [ _Party_ ]. However you may still participate in the [ _Party_ ] battles. When you graduate you will be able to continue on with your [ _Party_ ], however if the need arises you will be called away for special missions. Do you accept?" Kirito asked. If he was being honest with himself he was nervous in a way, his palms were sweaty and internally he felt the fluttering of butterflies everywhere. It wasn't the fact that she was a girl, no that was completely covered by Argo, but rather he was not used to interacting with people he never talked to extensively before. And this time there was no adrenaline pumping through his body as there had been when he had chased down the various contacts he needed to get this [ _Academy_ ] up and running.

She looked up at him, crimson eyes staring straight at the green flickering flames that were held in his mouthless mask. Her eyes sparked with curiosity before settling down comfortably.

"Will you show me what is behind your mask if I accept?" she asked him, her hands wringed behind her back.

"My mask?" he asked shocked, he had just barely managed to stop himself from stuttering like a fool before her.

"Yeah, everyone wonders what do you look like. It would be nice to see the face of my future [ _Master_ ]." came her reply, the hinted yes lingering underneath her words.

"I'll show you if you come." Kirito replied, a soft nod in her direction indicated that he agreed to her simple term.

"Then yes, I accept your offer Executor." Yuuki said, bowing her head a little. She watched as he flicked down his menu, undoubtedly manipulating it as she saw the back of the grey circles appear in front of him. He pressed a few buttons before she felt a cold wave wash over her, quickly manipulating her own screen she checked what had happened and looked in awe. He had changed her title from [ _Apprentice_ ] to [ _Legacy of the Executor_ ] and with it came huge bonuses to her stats, "Woah." she breathed out.

"You can't tell anyone about those stats increase." Kirito warned her, "It would create too much fighting to get into a [ _Legacy_ ] position."

"I won't Master, don't worry." she told him, closing her menu.

"Okay, first rule. In private do not call me Master. I'm only a year older than you." Kirito said shaking his head and shivering a little, "It creeps me out and honestly I'm done with the honorifics. You can call me that when we are outside but when we are alone I insist on you calling me Kirito." he firmly stated.

"Kirito." she tried out the name, finding that it easily rolled off her tongue naturally, "Okay."

"Go back to your quarters, pack up and meet me in the [ _General's Sanctuary_ ]. We can cover more of the basis over there." he said, nodding at her to let her know that it was her dismissal. She nodded once before turning and running out, no doubt taking flight to disappear.

Kirito sighed as he leaned against the wall, one gloved hand cupping his face as he allowed the nervousness and tension to seep out of his body. It was quite a little while later before he finally left that position and returned to his quarters to wait for Yuuki.

She got there later that afternoon, the sun blazing near the west. It was about four o'clock, about two or three hours before the sky went dark. The sun still shone brightly with few clouds hiding them from the light and heat. He gestured for her to enter their new living home. Watching with amusement as her eyes widened and jaw dropped a little slack at the sight before her.

Generals had very nice living accommodations, it was one of the incentives for living the harsh job with more responsibilities. His house was the same as any other General. The living area was directly accessible after the door towards their right, a mere two steps down. The floor was carpeted with fur rugs with a low coffee table sitting in the middle with cushions around it. A fire place towards the far end of the wall sat unlit at the moment. A few lamps decorated the pillars that stood around the living area, giving off the light necessary. A few steps in and she was met with the kitchen. It was past a door frame after the living room and sat on her left. The countertop was created from marble and shone brightly underneath the burning lamps, two ovens and a fireplace with a pot over it alongside a grill and a spit sat clustered all together in that one area; each having their own ventilation. Across from the kitchen was two rooms. The first was shut with a wooden door firmly in place and had the words ' _Library_ ' written on a plaque, whilst the second was described as Kirito's bedroom.

Her own room was certainly a far cry from what she had been living in with the students. It was large with an entire wardrobe accessible to her that spanned the length of one side of her bedroom. When the paper doors were slided over she found hooks and racks to place her armors and weapons whilst other hangers for her clothes; this would free up so much spare space in her _Inventory_. The floor was completely fur rugged as well whilst a king size bed sat in the middle of the room. Two fluffy looking white pillows alongside a red blanket outlined by white sat snuggly hugging the bed. Quite a few lamps burned along the wall, keeping away the darkness and illuminating the room. She peered inside the bathroom and had to say it was impressive. A large bathtub had been dug into the floor filled with steaming water that caused fog to hang in the bathroom. A rack of towels and a bucket of water with soap nearby was all needed for a nice relaxing bath after a long day of hard work.

"Well I hope you like your room. It's nothing that special and will be the same for all other [ _Legacies_ ] in the other houses." Kirito said, "If you want to personalize it, go for it. Would be nice to see what happens to this room." he smiled when she gave a snort at that comment.

"Thank you Kirito, this room is amazing." she said, bowing a little and flashed him a grin.

"There will be just a few rules for this house." he said sighing, rubbing his temples as though he couldn't believe he was doing this; a quiet ' _stupid Argo_ ' and ' _blasted rules_ ' could be barely heard whilst he murmured some words but Yuuki simply dismissed that as her hearing what she wanted to hear but looked confused as to why he pulled out a scroll and had unrolled it, "Firstly as I said before, no calling me Master while we are in private. Kirito will do. Secondly, you are not allowed to take pictures, draw anything from this room or share with students who are not [ _Legacy_ ] of a General what the room and the house looks like."

"Okay." she replied, a simple nod of her head.

"Thirdly you are not to invite anyone over here unless there is permission granted to you." he sighed again, "Fourthly … No I'm not saying this. You're going to pay for that Argo." he growled before shaking his head.

"Fourthly you must listen to my orders and after the completion of this year you will sit trial to see if you are ready to be claimed as [ _Legacy Warrior_ ]; if you choose to stay under the tutelage of your teacher after this allotted time then so be it. Fifthly, have fun." he quickly stated catching her complete off guard, "Yes this is a training regime for you to be able to take out Elite or Champion level monsters by yourself during battles, but this is also a game so relax and enjoy." a grin adorned his face behind the mask.

"Thank you Kirito." Yuuki said kindly, it still shocked the black haired boy to see how much she had changed over the last few months, "Now about that mask …" she trailed off, a smirk forming upon her lips as she tried to hide it with her hands.

"Was kinda hoping you'd have forgotten about that." he said, shaking his head, "Stupid conscience."

Kirito allowed his mask to pull back, feeling the material brushing against his skin as it disappeared into the little ring around his neck. He raised a single gloved hand and pulled back his cowl, revealing his face to her.

"You." she gasped, her eyes going wide once more with fear and terror sparkling beneath the red crimson depths.

"Nice to meet you again Yuuki." he said, a sheepish grin on his face whilst he rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands, "You can't tell anyone about me okay?"

He froze when he heard the little sniffles, his eyes quickly snapping over to look at her face as he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. She stood trembling like a newborn lamb as emotions surged through like the raging currents of the sea there for a moment, unable to believe it was the same person who had first shown her care in a long time who now was the person who would be training her and teaching her. She suddenly lunged forward, burying her head into his chest as her arms wrapped around his stomach. Her rushed repeated words muffled over and over again as they were pressed into his armor. Out of all of those mumbled words he managed to eventually catch the faint words.

 _Thank you_.

It was quite a while later that Yuuki had calmed down enough for her to sit on a stool without any tears. They were sitting in the kitchen area, or well she was sitting with her arms resting on the tabletop whilst Kirito was brewing them a cup of tea with the black kettle stilled over the fire. There was simple silence, both lost in their own thoughts, with only the crackling of fire spitting into the air that cut through the blanket of nothingness that hung between them.

"I guess I should apologize for how I acted the first time you met me." she chuckled, a soft laughter softly being uttered past her lips, "It definitely wasn't exactly a very gracious experience for you."

"It's alright, everyone was dealing with the revelation in their own way." he said giving her a small smile in response.

"That's true. You saved me and gave me some food and water, and I screamed at you." Yuuki said shaking her head, "I told you to not give me false hope and yet look where we are now. Standing against both the might of the [ _Seiyari_ ] and driving them back and now planning on an invasion to the [ _Centauri_ ] lands. Guess that hope wasn't false afterall."

"We can win." Kirito replied, looking her in the eye as black met red, "We are gamers after all, if anyone can win it's us." He was leaning against the table with his own arms settled on the tabletop, wearing nothing but soft linen shirt and pants. She hadn't known where his armor had gone, but one moment it was there and the next it was not.

"I'm guessing you wondered what changed right? How did I go from yelling about no hope to being here right now." an amused tone underlying her words like the undercurrent of the sea, "It was you."

"Me?" the Executor asked bewildered, "What did I do?"

The whistling of the kettle cut through their conversation, causing Kirito to jump a little. He turned around and quickly unhooked the steaming black kettle. Two cups were already waiting for them on the table, both made out of ceramic clay with a single cavity within the two walls to allow an escape of heat. He poured the green colored tea into both cups before placing the kettle on the floor and pushing one cup towards her whilst taking the other for himself. For a while nothing was heard except the slurping of tea and the satisfied breathing out afterwards. Then Yuuki spoke and expanded on what she meant.

"Once you left I just sat there crying." she started truthfully, "I didn't know what to do, I hadn't planned on driving someone who saved me away but yet I just wanted to give up on life. No escape in reality nor any escape here." a single tear rolled down her cheek, her eyes watering at such a memory and failing to notice the concerned crest of Kirito's furrowed eyebrows as the hinting of her words were not lost to him.

"Always throughout my life everyone had expected something when I was being treated nice, _if someone was nice to you it was only because they wanted something_ ; that's the motto I grew up with." her fingers tightened around the clay cup she was holding carefully in her palms, fingers curled around the curved shape, "I kept expecting you to come back, demanding something from me; yet when you didn't I finally ate and drank the things you gave me. Later when I returned to the closest village I heard a tale of how this young boy, dressed completely in black, had saved an entire party from a field boss and then simply left without asking for anything. I immediately had my suspicion it was you."

Kirito chuckled at that memory, remembering how he had fought against that stupid flying snake, trying to save the players who had foolishly enough aggravated a field boss. It had been satisfying knowing that he had managed to kill one by himself essentially though; it had been a certainly crazy and incredible. He turned back his mind and listened to Yuuki as she continued.

"But then you suddenly disappeared off the radar and I thought how that was where naivety got you and depression overtook me again. I eventually found the [ _Sleeping Knights_ ] and for the first time in a while I had fun. It felt like a game again, they had been very warm, very open to me. But the only reason I was able to even become friends with them was because I remembered how you first showed me kindness, how not everyone was evil." a breath after the long speech filtered through her mouth, "Then the person that arose from seemingly nowhere was General Kenta, fighting in the frontlines against the [ _Seiyari_ ] after winning consecutive matches in a row; the special glowing green armor that made it seem like a god fighting amongst mortals. You and Empress Argo single handedly pushed back their army and in doing so saved the [ _Sleeping Knights_ ]."

"What do you mean?" Kirito asked, his empty cup being slowly spun with his fingers as he fiddled with it. Yuuki took in a deep breath before slowly explaining what had happened.

"We were on the front lines when those special [ _Seiyari_ ] appeared with their crazy spear wielding abilities. I watched as many players and NPCs died right beside us, only our teamwork allowing us to hold back the spears." she whispered, quieter now, "But then one of our members got struck down, a spear through the gut forcing him into _Final Stand_ and launching him back into our lines. One of our members pulled the spear out of him, allowing the over time heal to come into its works; but we were barely holding the Elite NPC at bay, and our lives were flashing dangerously low. We were all so tired from the hour of fighting that eventually we slipped."

"In a blink of an eye all three of us were on the floor and disarmed. I remember staring up hopelessly as my body felt too tired to move, the spear being raised up high and about to descend; I remember thinking my last thought being how naive hope was." she took a deep drink of the tea in her hands before setting it back down, "Then suddenly General Kenta, or well you, appeared and behind him five glowing [ _Seiyari_ ] warriors glowing in the death animations. You pushed the warrior back before slaying him, saving our lives and singlehandedly shoving back the enemy waves with Empress Argo. That day I resolved that if you could be that strong, if one man could change the battlefield; then I would become like that as well."

"We joined the rushing force, pushing back wave after wave from the outpost back into their last fortress. I remember us laying siege to it and the rain of arrows that flooded down on us, each shaft a spear that would instantly kill most. There was that one time where one of our members got shot through the shoulder with a spear and was falling, then suddenly you were there pulling him out of the way with flashes of blue hexagons appearing around you as the arrows were deflected by some kind of force field." she finished the remainder of her glass, nodding thanks when Kirito filled it up once more along with his own and they simply sat in silence for a while before she continued her tale, "Why didn't you do what you did to that gate earlier instead of waiting out a four day siege?" she asked him, curious.

"It was deemed an unwise decision on showing our true power by Empress Argo." Kirito replied, "We were trying to keep under wraps just how strong we are, but eventually had no choice but to show a bit of our power. I have a lot more abilities that I have not showed anyone yet." he said with a small smile whilst Yuuki shook her head, deciding to question the logic behind that another time.

"Anyway after that battle I had replenished hope. If two people like that could turn the tide of a war that had surged through our land, then we can definitely beat this game." Yuuki growled out satisfactorily, " When the [ _Academy_ ] opened our group decided that we wanted to join and so we did, and now we're here." she said, splaying her hands as she finished her drink with a quick few gulps.

"This tea is really good." she commented eliciting a laugh from Kirito.

"It is. It was given to me by Argo; she has some of the finest things within that palace." he threw the name of the Empress around like it was nothing before downing his own drink and placing it back on the counter, "Anyway go grab some rest, we're waking up early tomorrow and you begin you training." he smirked at her as she smirked right back at him, slowly getting up as she accepted the challenge.

She'll show him how there were more than just two players who could single handedly change the tide of war.


	10. Chapter 10 - Centipede Swarm

**Chapter 10 - Centipede Swarm**

" _Critical Strikes are only capable of being landed when a strike lands upon the neck, the head or the upper chest; other areas that may deal a Critical Strike but not much are the achilles tendon, back of the knees or inside of the elbow. For non-humanoid opponents they generally have a few Shatter Points otherwise known as weak points by the majority player base, striking in these areas will result in Critical Strikes. Furthermore whenever a stab motioned is done for the damage, the Critical Damage increases. As such there is no such thing as critical chance within this game, it is entirely based off skill and location struck._ " ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Combat

It was a peaceful sunrise, few clouds loitering around like lost puppies that cried out for their mother. The forest surrounding the [ _Academy_ ] swayed slowly in the breeze, the slight mountainous section of the [ _General's Sanctuary_ ] rang with the sound of steel against steel that loudly toiled through the training grounds of the army of [ _Seido_ ]. The sun had barely risen, just peaking over the horizon with the sky being various shades of purple and dark navy blue, the barest amount of light piercing through the fog of night. The entire [ _Academy_ ] wasn't built on a flat surface but had various sections of the ground being elevated and others sinking into the earth. It created an interesting learning ground for many.

It had only been a single day and already Generals and their chosen apprentices were waging a sparring war against each other, a test to see how they fared in one on one battle. The higher mountainous section with the flashing of various lights as they flickered through the air, figures spinning and twirling as the Generals and their [ _Legacy_ ] sliced at one another in hopes of causing some sort of damage. Most notably was Kirito and Yuuki. The former was in his typical gear, the equipment gained from entering the [ _Hell Zone_ ] early; the black and burning green leaving traces of light as he moved around in an elaborate dance with agility and flexibility on unnatural levels. Yuuki was dressed in her obsidian half-armor and blue bottle neck violet blouse and a windswept dress of the same color.

She twirled underneath a slash from his wisping orange blade, the light bright, and flicking her blade against it pushing it even further away when she turned around and delivered a lightning fast roundhouse kick straight toward his face. He leaned back before allowing her to go on the offensive as her blade carved out attacks elegantly as they collided with his own blade; she was Sword Chaining very nicely. Then suddenly as quick as a striking viper Kirito parried her blade away from her body, stamped his left foot down and allowed a quick stab of the [ _ **Void Blade**_ ] to slice past her armor and nailing her straight in her right shoulder. Quickly he pulled it out, spinning around and unleashing a devastating double slice that would have decapitated had she remained in that same location. She ducked back, barely missing the blade as it soared by her neck by centimeters. Quickly she took advantage of his off balance stance in a split of a second, and swung her blade down at him; only to have the situation reversed on her when his left blade came up, stopping her strike in its tracks whilst his right blade was suddenly placed against her neck. She gulped, feeling her skin scraping across the razor sharp edge of the [ _Essence Blade_ ].

"You're a good fighter Yuuki. A bit more practice and you'll easily be able to stand up against a General soon." Kirito said as he took away his blades, deactivating them. Yuuki watched in awe as the crystals just seemed to fall apart and disappeared into the wind as each crystallized piece was gather up by the air and flown away into some other place. She definitely wanted to know where he had gotten gear like that.

"Alright, let's go again." Kirito said as he took a few steps back and readied his blade. Yuuki followed suit, taking a few steps back and holding her blade in her right arm back a little whilst having two fingers splayed near the front of the blade and holding up the tip. Her wound already healed and any negative debuffs gone; a special unique thanks to the safe zone around them. Her blade begun to glow a deep purple, colors swirling around her sword, and just before she was about to launch off a voice stopped their fifth spar before it even began.

"Executor Kenta!" a voice cried out, both of them turning to see who was coming to bother them. Some of the other Generals looked up to; most notably General Arashi as his [ _Legacy_ ], a girl by the nickname of Raikiri whose real name was actually Aris, tried to swing her weapon at his head only to realize at the last second that her Master was looking to the sky, tried to pull back the weapon, only to trip and fall on top of him. She had groaned and rubbed her head whist getting up only to get a sad shake of her Masters head at her own clumsiness.

"Yes?" Kirito asked, looking up as the messenger finally touched down on the ground, green translucent bug wings fluttering a little as the message to stop the need of use of them finally got through the muscles.

"Empress Argo ask for your immediate presence." the boy, who looked about thirteen and was short whilst small and no doubt fast, transfered weight from foot to foot as he waited for Kirito's response.

"Well I have no other plans for this afternoon. Did she say what she wanted?" he asked, eyes glancing quickly over to his [ _Legacy_ ] before flicking back to the messenger kid.

"Erm … yes. She stated that she wants you to meet her in the [ _Council Room_ ]." the kid shuffled his feet and Kirito's eyes brightened.

"Alright, thanks." Kirito nodded before turning around to face his [ _Legacy_ ], the messenger already gone, "Yuuki stay here, I'll be back later."

"Okay." she replied to him, bobbing her head in acknowledgement.

"While you're waiting study up on the lore of this world." he spoke whilst checking he had everything needed before turning back to glance at her once, "Whilst most people don't find it important most NPCs will actually drop hints of quest or other upcoming events or disasters through the use of lore. I'll test you on what you know when I get back. Dismissed." was all he said before disappearing in a flash of black darkness, splitting across the sky and disappearing as quick flash.

Turning around Yuuki left the open training ground and headed back to the house that she now lived in. Her booted feet crunching against the gravel ground as she took steps, each crunching the small stones and sending off the sound of rock grinding against rock. However when she passed by a childish like voice stopped her.

"Yuuki right? The Executors [ _Legacy_ ] correct?" She turned to look at where the voice originated from and looked at a kid her age. She struggled to remember his name and if she wasn't mistaken his name should be …

"That is correct General Ko." she said dipping her head shortly in a respectful bow.

"Are you headed back to the accommodation now?" he asked, rocking back and forth on his feet like a little kid riding a see-saw.

"Yes General Ko." again she answered with short and concise words, eyes bowed in fear of angering the child. It was strange what a life of abuse could do to an individual who looked at a person in authority as a person in authority regardless of age or gender.

"Why don't you stop by for a moment, let's spar!" he said grinning, "After all it's not everyday I get to meet the individual hailed as a prodigy in the _Sword Arts_." his enthusiasm caught her off guard before she tried to reply.

"But Master Kenta said he wanted me to study the lore." she replied, her answer wavering as uncertainty washed over her. Would it be okay if she sparred for a little while and then studied later? Would Kirito hurt her if she disobeyed his orders? Or would he be understanding? This death game had helped her slowly get over her fears, slowly working her way through the various issues in her life; but it was still a struggle.

"Don't worry. If you tell Executor Kenta that it was me who asked you he'll say it's fine." again the little child grinned at her, "Come on; it's not everyday I find someone who can fight who is as young as I am."

That last line sold her, with a grin she placed a hand on her sword hilt, the uncertainty fading to the back of her mind and the back of her chest despite the strange grip of fear over her heart.

"Alright." she said before they both jogged over to the remaining free space; the place where she had just sparred with Kirito before he left.

"Show me what you got Executor's [ _Legacy_ ]." General Ko said with a lopsided grin, unsheathing the a single wakizashi from his belt. He stood at about Yuuki's eye height, meaning he was a short short kid.

She unsheathed her own obsidian longsword like blade, the darkness gleaming underneath the sunlight before General Ko suddenly moved. To her eyes he moved so fast that he appeared to simply blur before his short katana moved towards her head at such speeds as blue lights trailed by. Leaning back her blade came up with the white light of a parry, knocking the blade away before she spun to her left letting _Viper Strike_ flash in its two hit sequence, chaining a three-hit combo just at the right time whilst rotating once more to his left. Her blades slashing diagonally right before being swung horizontally from right to left with the final blow being a curved slice aimed for the back of his neck.

Then she felt a sharp sting of pain echoing itself from her thigh, a gash had appeared from the slice of the wakizashi as it trailed by, the defence turning perfectly into offence within a second. She stepped back, allowing her wings to explode into action as she fluttered back, only to see the charging figure of the miniature sword wielding maniacal kid. Soon she found that all she could do was defend herself with the white and purple lights of parries whilst trying to dodge the slashing variance of colors all around her. Finally it ended with the wakizashi at her neck in a reverse hand grip, she met his eyes and shivered a little at the cold and ruthless look that had entered into it, his face set into the face of a hard cold born warrior before it suddenly turned back into the innocent face of a kid who loved sunshines and rainbows.

"Good fight." he said grinning as he stepped back, sheathing his sword.

"Yeah …" Yuuki trailed off, her body healing from the small slices that had been thrown at her, the thin lines of red and white crisscrosses slowly disappearing and fading into nothing.

"Don't worry about it." General Ko said with a grin, "Most people underestimate us because we're small but in true fact the smaller you are the faster you are. The only person who is faster than me amongst us here is the Executor." he linked his arms behind his head, resting the back of his skull against the combined cupped palm of his linked hands.

"How did you move that fast?" she asked him, a confused expression on her face. The bonus stats gained from the title as well as her opened wings should have covered for most stats difference in speed even if there was a level gap between the two of them. The kid laughed a joyous laugh, mirth dancing within his eyes and displayed on the smile on his lips.

"I used my wings as well as partial _Sonic Leap_. Those two were enough to get close to you without you realizing it." he said as he twirled around with such a carefree attitude.

"But I never saw your wings there, how did you do that?" she asked, absolutely confused and wondering how to improve herself to be stronger, to be able to change the battle in a split second.

"Ask your Master when he gets back, after all he is your teacher; not me." General Ko said grinning a toothy grin, "Now didn't you have some lore studying to do?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do. Thank you for the fight." Yuuki replied before turning around and running to her house.

"Come by some time again! I would love to spar!" the kid yelled after her, waving despite the fact she couldn't see him.

She didn't stop running until she reached the house, letting the cold chains of anxiety and fear unwound from around her heart as she stepped into the doorway, sliding her shoes off at the entrance before turning and walking into her own room. Kirito had allowed her access into the library that morning and she was in full intentions of using it.

 **Line Break -**

The library was a certainly most interesting area. There were two tables on either side of the room, both were placed within an indent of the wall. The floor was dark oak wood, as was the walls and the shelves; but the ceiling was made entirely from marble that shone white as the light of lamps bounced off them into the room. On the far end of the Library there was a glass panel that showed the outside gardens around the house of Kirito. Sunlight beamed through the glass, particles of dust floating visible in those shafts of light that pierced the glass panel. But other than that the entire room was filled with books, multitudes of shelves with variety of books on a variety of subjects.

She had walked through the elongated room, looking at the various books that were collected here. Some books were about _Sword Skills_ and the theory of battles, others strategy, some on herbology of this gaming reality, others on crafting and on the far end of the right wall was the section titled ' _Lore_ '. She plucked the book with the furthest backing date for it, an old tome with a worn out leather cover. Each page stained yellow with age and wrinkled from moisture. She tucked it under her arm as each step she took vibrated through the room like an intruder.

Sitting down at one of the tables, and with the necessary reading lamp on she began her study. Placing the book gently on the table she turned the first page, the crumpling and rustling of the page evident in the all too silent room. It was, if she was being honest with herself, an intoxicating sound; one that she would hear much more as she began to read. Her eyes glittering over the strangely curved words that adorned the page.

 _ **Chapter 1**_

 _ **ORIGIN**_

 _Long before any man walked the face of this world there were only four races that lived across the globe. Creatures of immense power they shaped the territories that they lived in however they saw fit, their Empires grew and spread across many continents; they became even more powerful. These four Empires were known as: Nation of the High Dark Archons also known as the Empire of the Teldazikim, the Forgotten Race of the Nation of the Nephilim, the Water Dwellers from myth called the Atlantean Empire and finally the Divine Immortals that resided within the Kingdom of the Alakvi. They had an understanding and affiliation with magic that very few can ever hope to understand or know; yet they also faced demons and monsters that could shake mountains in a single blow, creatures that could cause the sky to tremble by merely roaring into it or spawns that could call up an everlasting inferno to burn away the world. They held the darkness at bay, but once they vanished so did the great darkness. All that was left was for the more primitive, the more savage, beings to learn to grow and adapt to their situation._

 _Not much is known about any of those four nations, for history has recorded little of what was to come and what will come. Legend has it that after the eons have passed the four great first nations will arise and attempt to reclaim what has been long theirs. Before this time their old enemies shall arise first and against them shall stand warriors who will fight the darkness off and hold them at bay. But when they rise, they shall claim what has always been theirs and care not between those who are the beast that they have known for millennia, or mortal kind who stand below their feet. They will trample all and the world will perish beneath their power. It will be the end of one time, and the beginning of another._

 _ **The Nation of the High Dark Archons, Empire of the Teldazikim**_

 _It was whispered that these were a people not even from our own world, our own universe. Legend has it written that they travelled across between the planes of existence, crossing from dimension through dimension till they found the one they settled in. They called the realm between places the Dreamscape. A place where thought of mind creates reality, and the only thing to stop anything or everything, the only way to survive, is to embrace insanity as sanity. Their magic links directly to the Dreamscape, a magic that stated where nothing is everything and everything is nothing. The ability to render reality into nothingness was the height of their power. They could simply vanish enemies, wiping them from existence or create orbs that would simply take a chunk out of reality leaving a gateway into the dimension of nightmares._

 _Now, in the modern era, the leftover of these gateways are what known commonly as Hell Zones. An area deep within the lost roots of the world where creatures of the Void can come from, nightmares straight from the deepest pits of death and decay; straight from the nothingness. Indeed they were surely powerful for they not only knew how to repair these gateways, they harvested the creatures that came through without any problems; easily overpowering what would be considered a god monster in the current era of life._

 _Yet whilst they lived and walked on this plane of existence there were other creatures from where they resided that became pest to their Empire. One of such pest was known as the Great Centipede; a behemoth of a monster that can easily encircle mountains various times over. It spanned the width of entire mountain ranges with claws large enough they may as well have been mountains themselves. Legend and myths have it said that this beast was never slain, but instead now carefully resides and waits in slumber and that the moment it awakens it will consume the world. For it does not just live, march nor eat by itself; it spawns children that whilst smaller than it were large enough that whole cities have been known to be destroyed to nothing but rubble. Mandibles capable of destroying stone fortresses in one swipe, drops of poison that cursed the land for generations._

 _They could curl themselves underneath a lake, silent and ever watchful underneath the water, or perhaps hide themselves in the highest mountains where man not venture; tunneling through the earth at lightning pace till they reach far underground to hibernate and to give birth. Even more frightening yet, they could hide within the large forest where only hints and whispers of a great beast reside within. Whenever they awoke from these places only death, destruction and weeping and gnashing of teeth could be heard like a trail of broken souls. Pray that these are only whispers of legends and myths and not a reality that must be faced._

 _Another was_

Yuuki jumped as the sound of rumbling thunder echoed across the sky like the gong of the heavens that vibrated throughout reality. She looked up, her eyes wide as she captured late afternoon sun. She had been cooped up inside all day simply reading. This was unacceptable. She had paused a great deal after coming across the mythed Giant Centipede and had tried to cross reference it with various other lore books; but found absolutely nothing. Sighing she was about to return her gaze to the book and its words; unwilling to step out of line for even the smallest reason.

What if Kirito caught Yuuki walking out of the house? Would he beat her till she cried out and begged for mercy? What if Kirito caught her dozing off on her books or unable to answer what he questioned her; would he resort to torture till she understood her role. Would he defile her mentally and emotionally like so many others had before him with their mask of kindness, only for their black hearts to show when they were alone.

She shook her head, clearing her mind of such thoughts. That was the past, she had dealt with those ghost and now many had paid for their crimes; many placed into jail for lifetimes whilst she now slowly healed from the trauma. The past would not rule her, she would rule her past; to learn from her mistakes and grow, to live life to its fullest; not some half baked attempt at it but with everything she had. Even if her life was just a game.

A sigh escaped her lips as she felt her chest rest with the expulsion of air as she begun to stand up. Her fingers curling around the edge of the book and bringing it with her, each step echoing through the empty room. She softly, gently, pushed the book back into its place and then stepped back, eyes scanning the shelves for another book. Her right hand reached out to a book on the higher shelves, one with a hard cover wrapped in leather and bonded together with strands of iron. The title was curviant gold letters, beautiful piece of artistic writing and seemed almost a shame to have such a bland background.

Just as she was about to sit down and open the book a huge tremor shook the world. Books fell out of their places, the cair tumbled over whilst Yuuki fell to her knees. Her hands lost grip on the waxed floor and her face became very intimate with the dark oak wood. She could feel her body shaking, even going airborne for a while when the earth bulged underneath her. It was never specified nor forewarned that natural disasters could occur in Seven Kingdoms Online, this was a shock for every person in the [ _Academy_ ]. Eventually the the shaking stopped and she attempted to push herself up using the hands in front of her, yet another tremor slammed through the house, the crashing of books and the shattering of glass filling her world. This was more violent than the last and the earth underneath, despite it being hard oak wood, shifted and ducked like the waves of a sea. She was flung backwards by the whiplashing ground underneath her and collided with a bookshelf; causing whatever remaining books to fall down on her, burying her underneath paper and leather. If this had not been a safe zone that would've taken a chunk out of her life.

Yuuki pushed away the books, and got herself free from underneath the embrace of a hundred leather cases. She looked around the room and felt her blood grow cold, it had been totally and entirely destroyed. Lamps had been snuffed out and shattered against the walls whilst books lay strewed like the bodies on a battlefield. A quick look to the large glass window confirmed that the entire panel had been shattered, no doubt by the violent tremors. Her wings came to life, dark purple and black intermixed whilst they fluttered a little, allowing her to hover as she slowly glided outside. She saw just the dark black night sky, thousands upon thousands of twinkling stars hanging above them so high; their patterns waving and absolutely breathtaking.

That was when the first screams hit her, immediately she galvanized into action. Pushing off the floor she was standing on her body bursted out from the room in speed, wings buzzing behind her, but what she saw faltered her rush. Before her was a sight that she would never forget, and would probably hunt her down in terror for many nights to come.

A sea of giant centipedes were crawling upon the earth around the [ _Academy_ ] and also over it. She could see many buildings having been crushed underneath their sharp scythe like legs; then the darkened skies suddenly got a lot darker over her. Yuuki turned to look up, let out a yelp. Above her was the mouth of a giant centipede, its antennas long before it, slamming into the various houses and walls as it attempted to migrate between them. Twin black and large pincers framing the two smaller yellow ones, their black tips shining with some kind of glossy substance. The vertically split mouth underneath its head, gnashing with the sound of teeth slashing against teeth. Its dark underbelly nearly invisible against the black night sky. She dashed forward, her arms tucked to her side as she pushed her wings as hard as she could. A twirl to miss the large leg, each of these centipedes were easily the size of the entire [ _Academy_ ] if not longer, standing high into the mountains and large enough that no doubt they could be seen from the capital. Spinning with purple pixels trailing behind her she landed for a split second on a piece of rubble, before blasting off with _Sonic Leap_ and the assistance of her wings, buzzing away as quickly as she could, trying to gain altitude as she zoomed past the large body of the monster above her.

She slowed her speed when she finally reached the air alongside hundreds of others, the color of open wings and their slight trail of light evident in the night sky, like thousands of different colored stars. She spun around, noticing the various other players who were hovering beside her in their various nightwear; her eyes trying to find the Generals who were in charge.

"[ _Legacy_ ] Yuuki, I am glad to see you are unharmed." a gentle voice said from behind her. The girl in question spun a hundred and 180 degrees to see the long flowing blonde hair of General Shukaku, her warm eyes comforting her even from the distance without any touch.

"General Shukaku." Yuuki replied, dipping her head in an honoring bow, "Do you know what is going on here?" her curious question bearing straight into the face of the kind General.

"It seems that the myths of lore or not so mythical after all." she mused, her eyes twinkling as she relaxingly drifted in the breeze, "These are a migrating swarm of [ _Centipede Spawn_ ], as you can see they care little about what stands in their way."

"Where are they going Master?" the [ _Legacy_ ] of what was known as the Peaceful General asked. If Yuuki remembered correctly, which she often did, the small girl's name was Silica.

She was rumoured to be among one of the youngest players who actively participated in the front lines at the mere age of twelve, a superb knife wielding player who had also managed to tame a small dragon as a pet; giving her the title [ _Beast Tamer_ ]. It was an extremely rare achievement that was gifted to supposedly only seven people throughout the entire game; one for each Kingdom. Her hair was the color of creamed milky chocolate and looked extremely soft, tied into twin ponytails that hung off the side of her head she made for an extremely adorable sight. She had an innocent face with wide purple colored eyes, an easy childish smile adorned the face of her lips. Wrapped around her, as she had undoubtedly equipped so, was a red shoulderless coat with golden outlines. Underneath it was a black bottleneck top that was comforted by a circle of red and gold whilst a black skirt, with the barest of gold, hid her modesty. Black and gold stockings flowed down from her mid thigh before flowing perfectly into a pair of black and golden boots.

"They are probably moving towards the mountain ranges in the West." the General seemed to muse more to herself than anyone else, "I want ten volunteers for a message mission!" she suddenly yelled, gaining the attention of many and the raised hands of ten. Selecting a few she told them to draw close to her so she could tell them the mission.

"You are to fly hard and fly fast, reach each of the outpost stations, including NPC villages, until you reach the western mountain range. Tell them that a swarm of [ _Centipede Spawn_ ] are headed their way." she sternly and firmly informed them, hovering at the in front of ten gathered players, "If anyone poses a problem tell them it is under my orders. Be mindful of other monsters, I want you all back here safe and sound by tomorrow; and you are each to report to me when you return. Dismissed."Shukaku finished, watching with eyes filled with calmness and serenity as she watched the ten figures zoom across the sky like ten different lights racing for a singular goal.

"Master. How did they get through the safe zone?" Silica asked softly, looking up at the tall women who hovered in front of her.

Only silence met her question as it was simply unknown how a safe zone could suddenly fail to function or cease to exist. Wouldn't that said safe zone made all buildings with the durability of _Unbreakable_? How then did all those buildings and walls shatter into rubble? But yet, Yuuki was not hurt from the books falling on her, which should have taken out a huge chunk of her health if she truly had been outside of a safe zone where damage was the allowed.

 _What is going on?_ Yuuki asked herself, her eyes scanning the land below her as if it could suddenly speak and give an answer to her.

"General Shukaku, our wings have a set limit on how long they can go for. What do we do when that time runs out?" came the questions of someone around them, an unidentified face amongst the host of many and it sliced through her own self musing, making her turn to see the response.

"We -" was all she got to before a scream and a shout pierced the silence of the upper heavens with only the sound of the centipedes low clicking and groans audible over the rumbling crashes of the world underneath them.

"General! The centipede!" a boy screamed at her, all eyes snapping over to see the large half form of a giant centipede reaching into the sky; its maw open wide with teeth in rows visible to all. A single person paralyzed before the great beast, its head slowly moving towards the frozen student, maw agape as a hunger deep within the monster changed the very atmosphere that was around them; starvation, thirst, hunger, all words that fluttered through their mind.

A sudden blaze of red slammed into the side of the monsters head, a single figure with a broadsword embedded into the monster's head, pushed it back with a huge blow that left shockwaves in the air. It was General Kyojin, and he did not look happy. As ordered by Executor Kenta, all Generals had to have their main gear within their _Inventory_ at all times. Whilst true that normally you needed a pouch, bag, satchel or otherwise carrying device to pull things out of your _Inventory_ , the one exception was equipping armor and weapons. Of course to place an item into one's _Inventory_ it still required a carrying equipment. This was not standard procedure for students and it came to no surprise that very few had any gear equipped at the moment. But no matter so, all the Generals were already in their battle gear, ready for a fight; or at least they were now if they had not done so earlier.

General Kyojin was dressed in a red tunic and breeches made from a silky material. The velvet undergarments were worn over by a full heavy body armor. Large shoulder guards that covered down to his mid bicep hung forth from his shoulders, their silver and gold design evident despite the dark evening. A full body armor of the same intricate silver chainmail and golden bronze armor plating adorned around his body whilst an armored skirt covered his waist to legs, brown boots over his feet. His blade, which was glowing red and being pulled back from the monster, was huge. Its hilt was crafted from bronze, overlapped by leather; the blade itself was gigantic with the carvings of an ancient empire scribbled across it, a dark grey metal that only that giant of a man could swing with one arm without fear. A crude weapon that only that man could swing like nothing.

A roundhouse kick to the frozen student's body blew him back into the midst of the other students.

"What do you think you're doing? Get moving!" the giant man bellowed with a roar that thundered through the open skies; before he turned around and slammed his giant sword into the centipede's head, forcing it away from the remaining students.

General Shukaku was surprised he wasn't using the two handed broadsword technique that he alone could pull off; he was certainly a dangerous foe to face in battle.

"Everyone head back to the capital!" she bellowed, watching as the students fled in earnest panick, screams and yells echoing in the night sky, "Shiage, Kyojin and Shizu; accompany the students leaving, make sure they get to the capital in one piece. The night is a dangerous time for anyone to be venturing about." Internally she sighed, they called themselves gamers yet at the sight of giant bugs they ran screaming like little children. Children.

"You can count on us." the tall and lean General with chocolate brown hair blowing in the wind replied to her before turning around and disappearing; followed by the two other Generals. Kyojin disengaging from the beast immediately to follow orders, whilst he was strong he was nowhere near the level of Shukaku.

The remaining Generals and their apprentices hovered in the air as the beast rose its head into the sky, twisting and turning like a monster, displaying to the world its horrendous maw and dark underbelly. It unleashed a screech that actually blew the remaining players back, fury at losing its prey as the clicking of its mandibles slashed at empty air, a ferocious hunger ready to devour the world; and at its size it probably could after a few hundred years.

"Guess we're going monster hunting." General Ko said, the childish grin appearing on his face as the wakizashi appeared in his hand. A light grey tunic adorned over his small body, the hintings of brown breeches visible underneath the long tunic. Strange armor, no visible physical defence properties in all honesty. The silver outlining of his blade flashing all around him before settling down at a grip; Yuuki's eyes widened when all of that was done without the use of _Sword Skills_ and yet was certainly faster than most.

"Time to get some loot." General Arashi said, nothing of his was visible except a tattered old black cloak surrounding his body, a cowl up that hid his entire view whilst a blade was held in his hand. Ornament with the silver and golden outlinings against the metal body; looked like a very extravagant blade. His body was already angled forward into a dive before he said his parting words and left, "They're all mine!" he roared with laughter, a joy at the fight whilst he twirled and spiral down against the beast around him.

The laughter echoed on behind him, they watched for a few seconds as all that could be seen was the blurred movements of his dark stormy grey wing lights, the carving of _Sword Skills_ in a Sword Chain whilst on the fly was extremely impressive. They watched as after a few seconds, with him somehow finding all the weakspots and critically striking all of them; the [ _Centipede Spawn_ ] finally exploded into a bright white and brilliant blue light, shining like a star in the darkness before it faded in an explosion that rang with shattering glass.

A chuckle could be heard, resulting in the [ _Legacies_ ] still around to stare with confusion at the Generals who were finding this amusing.

"Well, I guess we better get moving eh?" General Mizumi, one of the two mysterious Generals. His deep navy blue colored army-styled hair nearly invisible against the deep dark night sky as he disappeared down; a relaxed and loose grin upon his face as a scythe was held within his hands.

"Wait up!" General Exota cried out, dashing after the rushing spear wielding General.

"Those two. I swear." General Nagawa sighed, a contented smile upon her face before she flew after them; and after her each and every General along with their [ _Legacies_ ]. Yuuki shook her head before turning down on a proper angle, seeing the mass dark brown and black bodies of the huge centipedes crashing over what had become a home to many, and launched herself forward; a single obsidian blade glowing purple behind her as she spun down to the earth with vengeance.

 **Line Break -**

It had been two hours since they started their battles with the [ _Centipede Spawn_ ] and if Yuuki was being honest with herself she was already tired and worn out. The initial excitement had turned into tiredness and horror as she found herself able to kill one centipede solo, but just barely. Her variety of colors raining down upon them around her had drained the mental capacities of her mind like water running out from a broken cup.

Yuuki had been saved several times by several different Generals using different weapons, as each knocked either the beast out of the way or her out of the way. She had teamed up with some of the [ _Legacies_ ] and taken down a few more [ _Centipede Spawn_ ] but had in reality not done much to dent the oncoming tide. However she wasn't the only one being saved, other [ _Legacies_ ] had to be also constantly pulled out of danger until they were all told by the Generals to leave the battlezone and protect each other away from this main fight. So they rested within the tree tops, letting their wings rest and recharge whilst their eyes feasted on the amazing performance of the Generals before them. Without fear of having to watch out for he [ _Legacies_ ] the Generals were absolutely dominating the [ _Centipede Spawn_ ]. They watched as beast after beast went bright white and blue, the various polygons disappearing into the night sky as shattering glass sounded through the air.

Yuuki gripped the tree branch that she was leaning on, frustration and yearning pooling within her heart as she wondered what made the difference between her and the Generals? What made them so strong that they could overcome such powerful odds without even trying. She wasn't even sure why the army was hesitant to charge into battle if they had Generals like these. Was it the level difference or perhaps something they had learnt? She simply just did not know at all. Glancing around her out of her peripherals made her notice that she was not the only one feeling that way. The other [ _Legacies_ ] felt the same way, yearning to be stronger and to clear the game; all of them just wanted to return home and live life as they were supposed to be, not just drawn to the game.

The defeat from General Ko earlier that day still fresh in her mind; defeated by a young teenager her age when previously no one in her age bracket or above could take on her blade. This was truly a humbling experience.

"Woah." a voice behind her said; sounded like a teenager, "They're amazing."

"Yeah. I wonder what makes them that different from us? I can't do something like that with my _Sword Skills_." another spoke up beside her, a girl this time.

The light rustling of wind through the leaves around them gave a soft calming sense despite the flashing colors crashing like lightning against the dark brown and black shells of the swarm of [ _Centipede Swarm_ ]. Their attention snapped back to the fighting scene as all stood, or rather sat, in awe of their teachers in action. It was now evidently clear why these ten were chosen to lead the army; whenever those Elite monsters appeared these would be their hope against them; and hopefully soon so would the [ _Legacies_ ] be as well, after all that was the whole reason why they were being trained.

"What are you all doing here resting on your butts?" a familiar voice said from above them.

"Executor Kenta!" a young adult cried out in recognition, bowing as the others did so in respect.

Yuuki turned and looked up, seeing the sight of what looked like death itself finding its way into the world. The dark cloak that was always around him fluttering in the wind whilst his wisp like wings flapped slowly. The black mask with burning flaming green eyes stared down at them in confusion, his athletically lean frame different from the others who were more bulky in their armor. The green rune inscribed unto his belt pulsing a deep black green whilst his armored arms were crossed over his chest. All in all, he made for an intimidating sight for all that looked up at him right now.

"Master." Yuuki said, allowing her wings to come alive for the first time in an hour.

"Are you okay Yuuki?" he asked her, unreadable emotions through the eye slots with burning green fire in them; although his voice betrayed concern, his arms now by his side.

"I'm fine." she replied softly, "Just …" she trailed off unable to put into words the feeling of both helplessness, frustration, yearn and anger that was just flooding through her; and yet the paradoxical excitement, want and liveliness coursing through her body.

"Don't worry." Kirito said, his voice gentle and soothing, "You'll get stronger over time. The [ _Legacy_ ] program, with you all as the first lot, are being trained personally by us to be able to do that." he said, gesturing over to the flashing lights of Generals running a rampage through the swarming monsters over their home for the last months.

She simply looked back at him with a questioning expression, wondering how the heck was she supposed to be able to do that when she couldn't even barely do anything against the beast there.

"We'll be going on a hunt for the [ _Great Centipede_ ] when all of this is dealt with; undoubtedly that's where the spawning point is." he informed her, his gaze suddenly seeming a little bit more inquisitive, "You did study about the ancient lore before this happened right?" His face suddenly nearing hers whilst the eye slits narrowing a little like a suspicious glance. She was paralyzed by how close he was, she could feel the power around him itching her skin; the flickering green flames a mesmerizing call to simply just stare into them. A sudden poke on her nose caused her to blink and pull her head back whilst shaking it a little. The instrument of guilt pointed crookedly at her.

"Yes!" she yelled, pushing off from him whilst the Executor suddenly had the audacity to look sheepish whilst she took a half step back.

"Sorry." he apologized, an almost audible grin underneath that mask of his carried out through his words whilst she glared at him with the faintest blush coloring her pale purplish cheeks, "Anyway don't worry, I'll train you as I trained the Generals." was all he said before slowly moving forward.

His wings hardly even moving, more as if they acted as a propulsion to him than wings. Even in the air he seemed unnaturally graceful, an otherworldly slow, yet fast, movement that screamed difference. Kirito stopped after about twenty meters away from the forest edge, where the [ _Legacies_ ] were gathered, he raised one hand up, facing it against the centipedes before turning his head slightly to the apprentices behind him.

"I would recommend moving coming underneath me if you do not wish to die." he said simply as he turned back to face the monster host. It wasn't until the last [ _Legacy_ ] hovered underneath him that Kirito allowed the _Void Skill_ to activate.

A sudden wail screamed forth through the air, yet it seemed to originate from nothing. The already black sky darkened even more, if that was possible, and soon the various [ _Legacies_ ] underneath him could feel the drop in temperature. Ripping through the silence was an echoing sound of leaves rustling through a violent wind. Yuuki turned around and her eyes widened. The area behind her was beginning to die. What had been lucious trees mere seconds before were now dead and empty hunks of wood, cracks running down their bodies like the splintering of a clay jar. Blackened leaves slowly falling to the ground, some even disintegrating whilst in mid-air, leaving the ground with nothing but dark ashes and dead material. A slight grey smoke seemed to be being pulled out of the forest, a trail as though the very life force of the place was being drained out of it. She turned, following the smoke trail as it went over her head and into Kirito's outstretched hand. It was forming into an orb made from the grey smoke like substance, swirling and whirling within an invisible containment like the writhing of a sentient beast.

From the five months since the start of the [ _Academy_ ] Kirito had finally gotten to [ _Master_ ] tier in regards to the _Void Arts_. He was currently using one of the pre set skills, a rarity amongst his imagination now, which was known as _Enhancing Nothing_. It drained the life of any ' _living_ ' object behind the caster and would suck their life force into his main hand. However to ensure a balance for such a power this ability could not be used to drain the life of humanoid opponents. The life force in his hand would then be used, instead of a mental cost, and empower a _Void Skill_ with a direct correlation of increase in power with an increase of life force drained. When Kirito clenched his hand into a fist the amount of life force drained enabled his next skill to deal a damage multiplied by five. The [ _Legacies_ ] watched in amazement as suddenly all the [ _Centipede Spawn_ ] stopped moving, frozen in their place. They then simply fell to the ground, motionless before glowing and expanding with the white and blue glow of death; the thousand shattering glasses reaching the group like a thunderous roar of a dying animal.

Over the last five months Kirito and Argo had also revisited the [ _Hell Zone_ ] area; the [ _Silent Forest_ ] had continued to give them great drops and with the ability to merge equipment into his already unique set, alongside the entire weapons set that scaled along with him, he had a lot of new powers and toys to play with. He was a lot stronger now, and the constant farming in the [ _Hell Zone_ ] meant that his level had increased tremendously as well, it was almost ridiculous how broken and overpowered he had gotten. Yet if he remembered correctly, the [ _Nephilim_ ] that would come later were certainly going to be a hassle to fight; they were well into the thousand level range on average. With that in mind Kirito had a plan that he was going to set into motion after looking at this sight with disappointed eyes; Argo and him would be bringing the Generals alone for a full week of [ _Hell Zone_ ] farming. The [ _Legacies_ ] would be left behind in order to keep training and keep order, none were strong enough to face off the [ _Hell Zone_ ] yet. But now it was time for his mind to return to the present.

"Executor. Did you do that?" Arashi asked, his eyes narrowed at the leader of the army of [ _Seido_ ].

"Yes. You guys seem to be having a little trouble, so I decided to lend a hand." Kirito replied with a grin, a casual smile as though their [ _Academy_ ] hadn't been just reduced to rubble and they weren't hovering in the air at early hours of the morning.

"We had it perfectly covered." General Ko said, a scoff and a huff coming out of his mouth as if their esteemed leader didn't believe them strong enough to handle a few bugs.

"So I didn't see you lose your wakizashi again?" he asked with one eyebrow raised in a sign of questioning the authenticity of that claim; but that was hidden behind his mask. Although his mask did display a little facial expression as if it had molded into his face and moved as he moved.

"Well …" the kid said, starting to squirm whilst a burst of laughter rounded off from the Generals, the patting of backs and ruffling of his hair occurred soon after, "Hey! Stop it!" he cried out before realizing the hopelessness in his demands. Eventually General Ko simply resigned to crossing his arms and hunching his shoulders with a huff whilst everyone ruffled his hair.

"That's like the fourth blade this week Ko, come on man." Arashi laughed whilst a grin split his face, notifying the kid they were simply messing with him.

"It wasn't my fault! Did you see how big that thing was? It ate my sword!" he cried out before stamping his foot like an eight year old in a tantrum; laughter doubling in volume whilst the [ _Legacies_ ] hovered there confused at how relaxed the Generals were.

"It ate your sword?" Mizumi asked him, a navy blue eyebrow arched in questioning.

"Yeah!" the fourteen year old kid took that chance, "It opened its mouth and went GNOM!" he emphasized with hand gestures.

Yuuki watched their eased conversations and relaxed nature; they acted as if they hadn't fought anything hard, as if the battleground they just walked off was an eased everyday occurrence that held no major significance. She shook her head, not understanding what was going on and how they could be so laid back whilst their [ _Academy_ ] laid in ruins; and yet she could also understand. The thrill of battle certainly overtook her whenever she entered the fray, and when such comrades had been built amongst peers it was no wonder they found this enjoyable. She looked up to the sky and smiled, they could get out of this game; she could save everyone.


	11. Chapter 11 - Guards of the Archons

**Chapter 11 - Guards of the Archons**

" _Items have various tiers which they fit into, and depending on which tier they are in, it effects the stats and abilities of the item. They all start with_ [ _Normal_ ] _then_ [ _Enhanced_ ] _which just means that the item has increased stats._ [ _Rare_ ] _is the tier where an item which will have very high stats without any abilities._ [ _Magical_ ] _is the tier which items will have the total of one_ [ _ **UNIQUE PASSIVE**_ ] _or one_ [ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVE**_ ]. _Every tier after that increases the total by two, allowing for a mixture of both passives and actives to occur. The stats in these items also exponentially increase. The last few teirs are known as_ [ _Legendary_ ], [ _Exotic_ ], [ _Ancient_ ] _and_ [ _Divine_ ]." ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Item Tiers

"There are a number of different Forms of combat that I have trained the Generals in." Kirito said as he began his lecture with Yuuki; he was teaching her one of the secrets that allowed the Generals to be so strong, so much better and more powerful than the rest of the army. The reason being this was not widely spread common knowledge was simply because Kirito was the only one capable of teaching these Forms, it wouldn't do to have over a hundred thousand people trying to learn it by themselves. When one of the Generals had questioned who he was to be teaching them such things, he had merely smiled at them abashed and scratch his head; that is until Argo spilled the secret to them with a hint of satisfaction in her voice. Then again that was understandable considering she was boasting about her boyfriend.

Afterall Kirito had been considered The Prodigy in the International Medieval League. A championship series with various people from around the globe wielding a variety of weapons to wage combat against one another; the death toll was known to be significantly low but quite a few had left the arenas crippled for life. However within his age bracket Kirito had been known as the foremost swordmaster that could even topple some of the Senior Divisions. Considering the fact that Seven Kingdoms Online was a world mostly focus on actual skill with a blade, was it any wonder Kirito could so easily slide into the world.

"The first Form is known as Kihon. It is the most basic out of all the forms and essentially branches into all other Forms, but yet can also be retained as an individual form if is a form that focuses on disarming and maiming with executing precision against both body and weapon of the opponent." he started, chopping the sword into very exact locations of the straw dummy, one to the neck whilst another to the thigh, a third to the stomach before finishing with one straight down into the head, "The use of broad sweeping strokes are great for defeating multiple opponents at once but can be hindered greatly within narrowly confined spaces as well as when facing off a singular opponent as they can quickly and easily get within your guard."

Yuuki was standing a little distance away from the straw dummy that was facing her Master off in a mock combat. A crude device that was perfectly good for this type of training, merely two sticks with a bunch of hay and straw tied to the post. It had been two weeks since the [ _Centipede Spawn_ ] swarm had come crushing through their land, the safe zone was already back up despite no one understanding how it had gone down in the first place. A week ago the repairs were finished, amazingly quick with the help of Argo and Kirito, and now for the last week everything had returned back to normal.

She was honestly enjoying and loving the life of a [ _Legacy_ ], her eyes had a sparking joy and passion now that could never be quenched after a mere week; and whilst Kirito made her work hard she could see the improvements in her already. But she did more than just learn how to fight with a sword. Kirito taught her how to lead a [ _Party_ ], how to command in the midst of battle, he tested her on her knowledge of the ancient lore always insisting that they were actually vitally important; and after seeing those monstrosities she realized just how important. Lucky thanks to General Shukaku's quick actions of sending out the messengers no player or NPC got hurt; some outpost were destroyed but they were quickly rebuilt with the help of the capital city. No real damage had been dealt to the Kingdom.

"Form Two is known as Ketto. It is specialized strictly for like weapon to like weapon combat; or in a scenario where you hold a weapon with longer reach than your opponent. It requires sharp uses of precision and calculated defences against your enemy with minimal effort with a strong emphasis on being not disarmed." He instructed, jabbing the blade a few times towards the straw dummy as though he had a personal vendetta against it, "This Form uses quick jabs and light cuts. It is based on balance and footwork to outmaneuver opponents with the fluidity, precision and calculations of motions instead of reliance on strength. The weakness in this Form is the lack of any high raw damage, but you have a higher chance of scoring critical and crippling blows."

She had seen the other Generals training their own [ _Legacies_ ] in this area of combat art, each training them in the specific way they knew how and the Forms that they had mastered. Each of the Generals seemed to have mastered at least three Forms each, no two ever sharing the same three Forms and as such created a devastating variety of different fighting styles as well as different weapons being used. Kirito had finally decided to teach her these Forms when she remembered to ask him how did General Ko move so fast with a blade that blurred so quickly; faster than any other _Sword Skill_ she had ever seen.

"Mamoru is the third Form and is so far the only Form that no other General has mastered fully. It requires extremely tight bladework and flexibility to execute subtle dodges. It is a defensive form against archers or other ballistic weapons." his sword moved quickly and sharply into four different movements which would have indefinitely swept aside some attacking arrow blades, "There is a reliance of calculation of motion and energy expenditure to ensure efficiency. In blade to blade combat the idea is to outlast your opponent till they make a mistake and to then take them out. There needs to be quick reflexes and fast positional transition to even become adequate in this Form."

It almost sounded like as if Kirito was parroting these words back to them, as if he had learnt it from somewhere else. Although if he really had been part of an International Medieval League that would explain a lot. To fight against various different techniques he would have had to learn how to adapt to many fighting styles, even learning those different styles and incorporating them into his own. It wouldn't be an illogical deduction then that these styles had been taught to Kirito with these words from a mentor of sorts; which would explain why he seemed to be parroting some parts but explaining others in his own understanding.

Yuuki watched as Kirito suddenly flipped over the head of the dummy before him, black wispy wings awaken, before delivering a devastating backhanded stab through the back of the poor straw man.

"Akuro. It is a fast paced and aggressive fighting Form that whilst weaker in prolonged combat and confined space, is incredibly effective in one on one situations. The idea is to overwhelm the enemy from every angle and side with raw speed and to cripple them with devastating strikes." he slowly got up from his crouched landing position, turning and holding the blade in front of him with both hands, "It relies on a combination of strength, speed and agility whilst utilizing wide controlled and fast powerful swings to incapacitate the enemy. One action must flow into another, the kinetic energy generated should only ever increase and you should only ever get faster; this is key for this style. This is the fourth Form. A Form that would hardly be feasible in reality, but because of this game world; its ripe for the picking."

Then suddenly Kirito raised his blade up into the sky, the glowing orange wisping hue blade shining brightly before suddenly being brought down with such speed and power that it sliced down to where the stomach of the straw dummy was. Yuuki's eyes widened, she did not expect Kirito to have such power when doing something so casually; he didn't even look like he had raw strength in all honesty. He was lean, yes, but he wasn't big and bulky like General Kyojin who wielded a broadsword like a single handed longsword.

"Form Five is Hangeki. A power based form that follows a simple pattern. Strong attack into a solid defense that flows fluidly into a powerful counterattack. It is specifically used for overpowering, overwhelming and killing opponents. It uses your opponent's attack back against them and is best utilized in like weapon to like weapon combat as well." he slided the blade out, ignoring the few strands of straw and hay that fell out along with his blade, "The one key of this Form is something called Fluid Riposte which involves the transition from parrying attacks into counterattacks; if this cannot be done then do not attempt this Form. The weakness here is the lack of mobility as you require stable ground to attack. Only use this in aerial combat if you understand how to transition power from momentum; otherwise it will just result in your defeat."

Yuuki remembered how the [ _Legacies_ ] had doubted the authenticity of these Forms when Kirito first informed the entire group of apprentices that they existed and it was these that enabled the Generals to be so strong. It seemed so made up when they already had an entire selection of _Sword Skills_ to choose from; why work with only a selected few when you could use all? Seeing the disbelief Kirito had called all eleven of the [ _Legacies_ ] to fight against him, he would only fight using one Form and if they could land even a single blow on him he would state that his Forms were useless. Immediately someone called him out on his equipment [ _ **UNIQUE ACTIVES**_ ] and he promised not to use them, charging General Shukaku with referring the fight. It had been an absolute embarrassment for the [ _Legacies_ ] as he wiped the floor with them, multiple times. No amount of strategizing, teamwork or surprise attacks seem to even get close to him before they were all laying on the ground with slices across their throats, faces or torsos. Needless to say after that they were more than willing to learn how he had done those moves.

"The Mediators Form; Zentai. This is the most balanced form out of every other Form and focuses on overall moderation. It lacks any significant drawbacks but at the same time lacks any significant advantages. It is not as strong as Hangeki nor as fast as Akuro or defensive as Mamoru." he said, before suddenly flinging out his left hand and allowing chains of darkness to wrap themselves around the straw dummy, crushing it before he leapt forward with enhanced speed and decapitated the testing straw man, "But it compensates for this by allowing the user to tap into any other unnatural powers to be used in sync with the blade; and as such provides the basis for dual-wielding weapons as well as other more exotic weapon choices. It is heavily based on the user's intuition and creativity in combat rather than rote responses common to the other Forms; it is the Form with the most personal variances."

A few nights ago Kirito had showed her his _Sword Skill_ grimoire that he gained, not from being the Executor, but by being a beta tester. He had stared into her eyes that night, waiting for some sort of response of disgust or fear; but found only a smirk to her face as she stated that was why he was so good. He had then handed her one of her own, stating that as he was the [ _Executor Primarch_ ] he could create and hand these out as he wished. He would teach her out of his own of course, but once she had learnt sufficient from him he would expect her to make up her own style. Afterall everything that he would be teaching her was just equipping her with the basics so that she would later learn even more and become unique in the fighting style she would use.

"The seventh Form is the hardest form to learn, it is the most mentally demanding and there are only two out of the eleven of us who have mastered it. Daitain is a Form that requires bold direct movements with the goal of beating an enemy into defence and then overwhelming them with powerful, precise and quick strikes till they tire out or make a mistake." he said, performing each attack from the form with such quick attacks that all Yuuki saw were blurs till the straw man was left with no arms, "Each attack must flow into the other whilst using leaping and quick short dashes to reposition into an enemy's blind spot. It can only be mastered by those who have mastered other Forms. The one weakness of this is that whilst it excels at overwhelming a single opponent quickly, it can leave the user open to other attackers; especially from the form of the elements."

Suddenly Kirito slashed towards the left, only to quickly spin to the right and deliver a devastating cut that removed most of the straw man's torso. He moved again to the right, taking a backhanded cut only for it to fluidly transform into an overhand downward stroke before ever reaching the original intended target.

"Azak, the last Form of feints and slashes is one that revolves around pivoting or spinning around an enemy whilst moving in a circular motion around them. The goal is the ensure that your opponent never knows where you're going to strike, you may seem to be coming from the left but you're actually coming from the right." Kirito stated before doing a few more spins that resulted in such lightning quick attacks that all left of the straw man were the stumps of his wooden anchor, "It utilizes hacks and slashes as the primary attacks and requires heavy body burst of speed to suddenly catch opponents unaware. It is a very deceiving fighting Form that makes your enemy think you're attacking from one angle when in actuality that's the feint, drawing their defense before spinning around and killing them."

"Now let's spar and let's find you a Form to learn eh?" Kirito said to Yuuki, the underlying tone of amusement evident to her.

"Alright Master." she said grinning back at him when she saw the winch that occurred; he really did not like being called Master, seemed very awkward for him.

"I'm going to make you hurt just for that." he said with mock anger, his orange sword held out behind him with his wrist slightly cocked forward. The orange glow of the weapon not loss underneath the bright sunlight as wisp of it curled and flickered like a living being.

Yuuki dashed forward with her own obsidian colored blade, her light armor allowing quick movements whilst her opened wings only bolstered those movements. When she was about three more steps from Kirito she launched herself up before using her wings to drive herself down, the inertia following the glowing purple blade sparked against the flat side of the [ _Essence Blade_ ]. Afterall, Kirito did not want to destroy her blade whilst they were practicing. From her halted position in mid air she flipped herself over his head, unleashing a barrage of _Sword Skills_ , watching as the variety of purple, blue, green, red and golden glow attacks all stopped at the orange hue of Kirito's blade. A sudden shove from his blade caused her to stumble back, an orange arc sliced right in front of her eyes as she leaned backwards, spinning whilst she did so; her black blade with purple lights dancing off in trails knocking the blade away.

She returned with a vicious slash aimed at his neck before being followed up by a disarming knock up blow, a _Two-Hit Sword Skill_. Or well at least it would've been if her blade hadn't been stopped by an unmovable force from Kirito's side. Then he unleashed his own attacks, always striking her blade with the flat of his as well as near the hilt of his sword, quick short strokes that bounced from right to left to right to left again; simple and yet the speed made it anything but simple. Yuuki was forced unto the defensive, her own blade trying desperately to keep that flat edge away from slamming into her. She took the risk to suddenly flipped backwards, disengaging from the close quarter combat, before lowering her blade and shaking her head. He had let her go, a quick slice would've all been needed to cut off her wings and slice through her back and spine.

"This fight is over." she said with a smirk, "You've won already."

Kirito laughed, it echoed out past his mask and vibrated through his body.

"Well at least you don't fight unnecessarily." Kirito commended her despite the fight lasting only a mere few seconds, "I believe I know the Form you will study during the one week expedition the Generals and I are taking."

He beckoned her to come closer to him as she watched him pull something out from the shadow in his palm; a _Shadow Inventory_ , just another thing that made him different from everyone else. As if he wasn't different enough already.

A black square based pyramid was held in his hands. It was carved from the darkest metal she had ever seen, seemingly drawing in light from the atmosphere around it. A groove cut through the metal forming an upside down 'Y' that displayed another layer of greyish metal underneath. The ever slight grey glow pulsing and slowly moving like a beast trapped within a cage. Runes of an ancient unknown language were engraved carefully into the metal in strips that no one could understand. However the top bit of it was missing, an empty gaping gap showing various glowing runes within; the missing piece was as if someone had carved out a 3D diamond kite shape from the tip of the device. When Kirito placed it into her hand she was amazed at how light it seem; of course there was weight to it but far less than what she had expected; and was equally surprised to find the missing piece being handed to her as well. It was made of the same black metal with runes carved into the surface, dead black.

"What is this?" she asked with the barest of whispers, fearful that perhaps a loud noise would awaken the beast into fury, or silence it for eternity in fear of its capturers. Yuuki could feel knowledge and power rolling off this object in waves, a cold grasp over her chest like the chills of space whilst the air continued to darken around it.

"It's a [ _Ruikodai_ ]." he said as if that would explain everything, smirking underneath his mask at her confused and annoyed glance at him, "It is a recording device from what lore would suggest originates from the -"

"Teldazikim Empire." Yuuki breathed out, looking at the object she had in her hands with awe and wonder to be holding something so rare and so powerful. She now knew why she had found the design so familiar, she had it seen it sketched in all those ancient lore books.

"Yes." Kirito said, pleased by her grasp of the ancient lore of this game world; it could very well mean knowing a disaster before it happened or being completely blind to it, "I have placed a recording of lessons about what you need to know about Akuro and Zentai. I'm hoping for you to have learnt quite a bit by the time we return." he said with an unseen eyebrow arched. He had no doubt she would pour herself into learning the Forms of combat that he had learnt from the various championships. She enjoyed the thrill of the fight as much as he did.

"Thank you Master!" she said, glancing up at his face with a beaming grin on hers, a quick bow from her waist allowed him to know that she really found this an amazing gift. Her eyes quickly flickered back down to it before sheepishly smiling at him, "Would you mind if I … you know …"

"Go ahead Yuuki." he said with a chuckle at her eagerness, watching as she simply sat down on the ground and activated the recording device by placing the diamond shaped piece into the pyramid. The runes suddenly pulsed grey and a shape began to form a little above the device. Formed by the shadows there were no real visible features that could be seen, but the voice was sharp and clear as day.

"The fourth Form, Akuro, is entirely based around understand the limits of ones body, and then exceeding it."

There was no denying it, the voice belong to none other than Kirito himself, and he watched with amusement as she was entirely engrossed with the lessons possibly given to her. He didn't even bother breaking her out of her trance to say goodbye, his wings silently appeared as they formed forth from the shadows of his back. A mere thought and he was off to meet the other Generals and the Empress at their meeting point. Today was the day they would begin their [ _Hell Zone_ ] expedition.

He simply smiled at the thought of Yuuki simply sitting there completely oblivious to everything else, glad that someone else within this death game could be happy as he disappeared in the speed of a black lightning bolt.

 **Line Break**

Kirito slowed down as he got to the barrier of perfectly aligned trees that seemed to disappear into a never ending darkened forest. The shadows seemed to cling to the tree trunks, promising a painful death if one were to venture within. In front of the [ _Silent Forest_ ] was the gathering of Argo and the other Generals, he had decided to stay back a little to talk to Yuuki more; but now as he saw them he grinned, a smile forming over his face and under his mask. Gliding over with unnatural grace Kirito joined the group with their conversation, his right hand easily dipping to lightly place itself against Argo's back. He heard the little sigh escape from her mouth as she moved in closer to him; an action that went unnoticed by everyone.

"Executor." Shiage stated, bowing a little.

"Is everyone ready?" Kirito asked, his eyes scanning over the group as they all nodded, "Remember what we are entering is essentially a place for [ _Raid Parties_ ]. We'll be going only into the [ _Outer Ring_ ] and potentially the [ _Middle Ring_ ]. Take no risk and protect each other. This will be a time for us to grab you new stronger gear as well as building your teamwork; Empress Argo and I will be overwatching this expedition. Let's go." he said when no one else said anything, turning and letting his wings propel him past the first tree line.

His eyes accustomed to the dim, and with his gear, saw it as clear as daylight. The entire group stayed close to one another, eyes flickering from left to right as they attempted to see what laid beyond the darkness surrounding them. Various trails of pixelated color glowed and shimmered behind them before fading away and disappearing as sparkles, consumed by what seemed like neverending darkness. A quick open palm up by Kirito caused everyone to pause, their weapons readied whilst they slowly turned, looking for what had caused their leader to pause.

"Can you hear it?" he asked, only Argo nodded a confirm whilst the others either shook their head or looked at him confused, "Follow me." was all Kirito said before turning and flying off, black streaks trailing behind his wings whilst the others sped to keep up with his superior speed.

As they followed Kirito the darkness receded in front of them, only to accumulate behind them and covering up wherever they had first come from. Darkness above, darkness below, darkness behind, darkness all around. Eventually everyone heard it, the dins of battle as metal clashed against metal.

"There!" Heigun called out as they saw the faint flickering of different colors slashing into one another. They dipped down towards the left, getting closer towards the source of fighting. As they flew by they noticed scorch marks against the base of tree roots and the ground, like as though fire had been thrown there before dying out. Finally rounding past a tree they saw the sight that had drew them here in the first place.

There were two forces that met in battle. One were dressed in white and gold, light shining off their clothing duly as if they were a light source themselves. They wore face mask that were completely white except for the golden symmetrical swirls in the middle of their mask; four black slits adorned perfectly on either side of the mask. White, with light gold designs woven on, and brown layers of garments adorned over their body like tunics made for a specific order. In their hands were single handed swords, these blades made from the purest white metal their expedition group had ever seen, golden swirls once again drawn across with a perfect artist hand. The strangest part was that from the tip of their blade till about the middle was a small slit, purposefully made, with most of the golden art originating from that area. However in their left hands they held an orb, white with intricate swirls of gold on them whilst thick and deep grooves cut through its body. A glowing core could be seen from within of molten gold like the color of a burning star.

Fighting against them were a force of black skinned beings with a purplish hue to their skin. They had scarlet red eyes that screamed blood lust whilst tattoos of grey were inscribed onto their flesh. They wore no mask and had visible sharp teeth flashing as they snarled in battle. Their armor made from overlapping black steel whilst grey runes were written all over them. The very shadows seemed to cling unto their being making them hard to see to most as their figures always seemed to be in one place, then another. Their flowing dark silver hair a contrast that stood out, marking them as different amongst the darkness as it flowed behind them in long waves. In their hands an assortment of weapons; swords, daggers, spears and axes. Each with the same design, dark stone like looking material wrapped around with leather bindings near the hilt. Their darkness clashing with the light which the other brought.

Kirito noticed that there were dead bodies lying around the battlefield; meaning that this wasn't a random meeting but the setting up of either a [ _Quest_ ] or [ _Event_ ]; that was the only time a dead body did not decompose into pixels. Yet what had killed them weren't strike marks, some did have weapons sticking them to a tree or the ground but most had what looked like scorch marks; then again most of the dead were those of the dark skin and the few dead ones were from creatures no doubt native to the [ _Hell Zone_ ]. Not a single one crafted from light could be seen amongst the dead.

"Attack the dark ones." Kirito commanded as they swooped in, the flashing colors of _Sword Skills_ lashing out like whips of light in the darkness, silencing many. The fact that these bodies did not explode into polygons of light meant that this was most certainly a [ _Quest_ ].

Quickly they were engaged in battle, the ones dressed in white and gold did not hesitate to back them up; glad for any help they could get as what seemed like even more dark ones were appearing. Kirito activated his [ _Essence Blade_ ] and [ _Void Blade_ ], falling into the easy and familiar dual-wielding. He spotted one of the dark ones rushing at him, elegance and grace of an entirely different field as they seemed to almost glide over. It came rushing at him, spinning arcs of purple and grey lights swooping like the striking teeth of a viper. Kirito caught the short sword upon his orange glowing blade, whatever metal they had easily standing on par with his sword' although he did notice the little knick in the blade. A quick lunge with his left hand aimed to run the opponent through the chest, but missed as it backed away with a single leap and spin.

Kirito rushed forward, black wings out as he flew the last meter, spinning to allow his blade maximum kinetic power. His green and orange hued blades slammed repeatedly over and over again against the short sword, upon the third rotation his green blade knocked it out of the way before the quick descent of his fourth rotation severed the mobs head from its body. The smoking headless torso slumped to its knees before keeling over to the ground chest first; the head rolling and bouncing away.

Leaping over the fallen body he allows the mid air spin to flow into another slash, one that flew with the strength and speed far surpassing most users. He watched in satisfaction as his next opponent caught it on his staff. Kirito spun a little, his orange blade spinning around him, before his entire vision was engulfed by the shadows only to reappear behind the opponent and allowing his blade to complete its circle; beheading another opponent.

That was the trick with humanoid targets; if your blade was strong enough, and if you swung hard enough, fast enough and at the right locations you could very easily instantly one shot a target. It had little to do with stats of a player over the levels and more to do with a user's skill of the blade in their hands. Whilst true that could be considered a broken function, a bug even, but the real question is how many people could actually perform a feat like that? Not many, considering that most of his Generals still went for slices and slashes, and true that with their strength some could decapitate an enemy with a single strike; but not many had the same accuracy he had. Afterall even a slice to the neck would simply cause a critical hit to the health of an opponent, not instant death. To instantly kill someone it required a direct hit to the heart, through the brain or decapitation.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched as one of those dressed in white and gold raised their left hand at an incoming attacker and suddenly a shield made from what looked like swirls of translucent gold created a barrier to protect themselves. The previous orb in the warriors left hand was now floating a few centimeters off from his open palm that faced his advisory. Those swirls that had been previously thought of as mere decorations were in fact a language none knew. The metal case floating away from a glowing molten golden core that shone brightly, floating like jigsaw pieces.

The barrier turned the attacking blade away, knocking it to the side upon contact as if the blade had been dipped into fast churning waters. It left the dark one wide open and the other warrior suddenly stamped forward and did a stabbing motion with his blade, despite the fact that it would come short. Kirito watched in amazement, and so did a few other Generals, when the golden intricate swirls blazed bright golden light and from that little slit a beam of molten golden white light shot forth, arching like lightning as it struck down the dark one. It blew him back against a tree leaving nothing but a scorch mark that had burnt through the man's body leaving him for dead. The pulsing lights disappeared from the sword as the warrior joined back into the battle.

As he turned back to focus on his own battle he watched as a dark one barrelled towards him with such grace and speed that Kirito actually jumped back, dodging an incredibly fast slash that sliced right in front of him, the dark purple trails of light eerie in the extended darkness. The creature jumped back, before a vicious smirk spread across its face. Lunging forward once more Kirito went to block the attack, only to meet thin air as the monster disappeared into a burst of shadows. Eyes narrowed Kirito activated his [ _Shield of the Kahala_ ], feeling the hum of energy filling the air around him. He watched as a sudden dark green light trail collided against the shield, blowing whoever was wielding the blade and making them visible. Wasting no time Kirito dashed forward, his blade easily sinking through the head of his opponent before a swift flick from his wrist resulted in the head being split in half.

A screech cut across the clearing and immediately all the dark ones disengaged before disappearing into the shadows in incredible ways. Some vanishing in explosions of darkness whilst others simply turned invisible, the rare few slipped into the darkness behind trees and simply disappearing with the shadows. The moment these dark skinned ones disappeared the golden and white blades were raised against the Generals, swirls pulsating with bright glows readying for those golden light arc blast.

"Who are you?" one of the golden warriors asked, Kirito watched that blade very closely as it was aimed right at him, "Are you a [ _Nigrum_ _Tenebris_ ]?"

"Custos Jak-Orr." another muffled voice stated, "Stand down." as another warrior placed a hand on the current threatening soldier.

"I can sense darkness within this person." the person identified as Jak-Orr stubbornly stated, "He has to be a [ _Tenebris_ ]."

"My name is Kirito." he answered a little delayed, "I am the [ _Executor Primarch_ ] of the Kingdom of [ _Seido_ ]. These are the Generals of the army of [ _Seido_ ]." he said gesturing to those behind him with their various weapons.

"The Kingdom of [ _Seido_ ] is new to this world. Stand down Jak-Orr." the same commanding officer sternly stated once more.

"He wears the armor of a [ _Teldazikim_ ]. He must be in league with the [ _Tenebris_ ]." Jak-Orr snarled behind his mask, "I would know the armor of a [ _Dark Templar_ ] anywhere."

"That is true, yet he is not in fits of rage nor insanity. I do not see an deformity nor mutation. Perhaps we can resolve this peacefully." the leader spoke again, the last bit more of a musing to himself than anyone.

"I got this armor set from killing a beast that resided within the [ _Silent Forest_ ]." Kirito answered calmly despite the glowing sword pointed at him.

"They do not even understand what is going on!" a hand forced the blade down as a warrior stood in front of another, "You will stand down now or I will force you to stand down. Do I make myself clear Custos Jak-Orr?"

"Yes Venator Val-Shor." he stated, taking a step back with head hung in shame at being told off in front of everyone.

"Finish getting the camp set up now!" Val-Shor said after addressing his group with the other and then turning to face them with his mask still on place, "Please forgive Jak-Orr. His family were slain by the [ _Tenebris_ ] and he has had always a deep hatred for them despite that not being our way."

"That is alright." General Heigun spoke up, coming to stand near Kirito, "There was no harm done and that is all that matters."

The warrior in front of them, who was obviously the group's leader, laughed with mirth.

"Well said young one. Come, all of you. Sit with me." he said, leading them to an already set up campfire with large logs placed around it, the dead leaves crunching underneath each footstep whilst cold damp wood pressed against them as they sat down, "So what are your names? And I mean names, not titles." he asked them.

Glances within the twelve people communicated their choices quickly before a nod by Kirito allowed them access to answer a question like that.

"Kirito." the Executor stated first as he was the one sitting on the immediate right beside him. His armor drawing the darkness into himself, making him darker but majority of the surrounding around everyone else lighter. Ironic that such a natural response by the armor represented who Kirito was the most, he would take the blame for everything and turn himself into a scapegoat to save and to help others.

"Argo." the Empress followed up smoothly as she sat on one of the logs with her chosen one. Her armor had lost the purple neon glow it had once. During one of their duo [ _Hell Zone_ ] expedition Kirito and Argo had managed to kill a moon beast and Argo's armor had absorbed it up perfectly turning every previous purple line into a lunar silver that shone beautifully; it repulsed the darkness around them.

"Rakurai." was the response General Arashi replied. Each of the other Generals knowing their in game name as well as their chosen title name; they only chose to continue with the nicknames because it made life easier, and because they were generally shorter than their real in game names. He sat relaxed, twin hands intertwined behind his head whilst he leaned against a tree trunk behind him.

"Akaryoku." General Nagawa answered him casually, her long black hair almost invisible against the darkness that surrounded them.

"Shukagami." the goddess like General Shukaku calmly, and very composed, informed the leader of her name. She sat close to Arashi, both forced to share a single smaller wooden log seat that was next to Kirito and Argo.

"Kanpeki." General Shiage stated, her double sided katana sheathed at the moment as the blades somehow could withdraw into the hilt of the blade.

"Buyokusa." little Ko said, the official in game name of the speed demon that stood as rank three in terms of combative strength amongst the ten Generals.

"Taijin." General Kyojin said, his large frame casting devilish looking shadows that ducked and weave upon the wooden trunks behind him. They curled and weaved like monstrosities from the very depths of darkness.

"Chie." the Athena like General Shizu said, her stormy grey eyes cold and unyielding even in the warmth of a singular flame whilst they were surrounded by darkness.

"Heigun." interestingly enough General Heigun had used his same in game name as his title nickname whilst in the army of [ _Seido_ ]. He was the only one who did it, then again his peaceful demeanor meant that many loved him and adored him; there was no danger in it.

"Nukami." was the gruff response of General Mizumi, his large scythe resting against his shoulder whilst the butt of the weapon dug into the ground below them. His feet spread wide enough that he could lean forward on his elbows whilst looking at the warrior.

"Yuniku." General Exota stated simply, her marble white eyes standing out brightly against the darkness that surrounded them.

"Nice to meet your acquaintances. My name is Val-Shor and I am the leader of this group." the man in his golden armor finally spoke, "And now, let me explain to you the history that you do not know."

 **Line Break -**

They were known as the [ _Guards of the Archons_ ], or in the ancient language [ _Veterum Vakza_ ]. They hailed from an ancient civilization, not as old as the original four, but one that came after the fall of three. They were a nation that arose during the fall of [ _Atlantis_ ] when the [ _Teldazikim_ ] waged war against the entire world. The Nation of High Dark Archons had found a gap, a crack within their dimension into another world. One without light nor substance, one of nothingness that when came into contact with something turned them all into beast. What started as a war ended in the slaughter of four civilizations. [ _Atlantis_ ], the [ _Nephilim_ ] and the [ _Divine Immortals_ ] were all torn down by the nation which had been mutated into monsters, the stuff of nightmares. They were what had created such breaches as [ _Hell Zones_ ].

The [ _Guards of the Archons_ ] came from a fallen away sect of the [ _Teldazikim_ ] empire that called itself the [ _Daelaam_ ]. Their entire aim, entire existence and goal was to tear down what once had been the [ _Teldazikim_ ], what once had been their brethren and were now beast, literal abominations of flesh, blood, energy and life that had come from nothing meeting something. Eventually they had succeeded, but by then nothing was left but the ashes of what once had been their world. They had gone into hiding, allowing the survivors to establish a new world whilst they withdrew away from any dealings of the globe; their empire had had their chance once and completely ruined it, it was now time for the next generations of nations to have their turn. However unknown to them were two things, one being that relics had been left behind by the [ _Teldazikim_ ] and two that due to them actually closing off the ripped open portal, they had in a sense become immortal.

Over time their physical bodies decayed away leaving nothing within their armor but swirling golden lights of energy. Those unique arcs of golden light and golden shields used during the battle were actually the [ _Guards of the Archons_ ] last resort as it drained their very life essence. If not used sparingly, calculatedly or carefully; it would result in their death and release into whatever world existed after this. They could use this life energy to empower themselves making them faster, stronger, more flexible, more enduring or more powerful if they needed to; but again too much would result in their demise and as such all were kept as last backups. What happened instead was that they training with the blade for millenias resulted in an order, that whilst never gained new members, of highly skilled swordsmen. Their armor was crafted with ancient techniques and actually acted like a mechanical suit in a sense that could be upgraded to be faster or stronger or more enduring even without the use of their life force. Upon taking off his mask, Val-Shor showed them that what laid beneath was not flesh, but a swirling mass of golden molten light.

But throughout their history there were moments where the Guards themselves had turned dark. They learned that they could siphon the life force of another being into themselves and thus gain more life force to use making them a lot more powerful. Those that agreed, numbering only in the thirties, ravaged five nations and their various outpost, cities and even each capital. They left nothing but husk in their wake, reminding the world long ago that the reason why the Nation of the Dark High Archons should be feared and revered. In other times of history outsiders from the new infant kingdoms found the old relics, unleashing monstrosities upon the world or turning themselves into conduits of what the Guards came to call as [ _Void_ ] energy. Each and every time the Guards rose back to their challenge and slayed the darkness. Now they were hunting for the relic in this [ _Hell Zone_ ] when they stumbled across some native creatures as well as those corrupted by the [ _Void_ ].

The next question that then piqued everyone's interest was if Kirito was using [ _Teldazikim_ ] equipment, alongside a [ _Void Essence Blade_ ], then how was it that the darkness had not yet crept over him and taken his sanity as well as formity.

"I don't know."

Was all he could answer with, a sheepish hand scratching the back of his head like a kid caught stealing a cookie out of the cookie jar. He had kept eye contact with Val-Shor the entire time; their group had been so engrossed with their work that they did not notice that the afternoon had descended long before and now lay only the dark night that empowered and strengthened those of the darkness. He honestly did not know, there was never a tug towards the darkness nor any sense of his sanity slipping; in fact if anything it had made him more accurate and more thoughtful of his action sequences and plans. Just because he was extremely powerful did not mean there would be no one left to face him in combat. He had continued to push himself, training everyday to become stronger, faster, better. The only reason, the only inkling of an idea, he had towards why it never affected him was simply because he was a player and not an actual denizen of this world.

"Well either way I can't let someone who is wearing the armor of a [ _Dark Templar_ ], whilst imbued with the presence of [ _Shadows_ ] and the [ _Void_ ] simply walk away." Val-Shor said as he stood up, looking down upon the gathered through the white and golden mask, "Wait here, I shall return shortly." His white armor disappearing in the darkness as he walked towards one of the set up tents, the flaps flinging in the air as he let himself in.

Kirito looked over to Argo after turning away from the leader walking into his own private territory, the rest of the Generals staring at each other; some bored whilst others none caring, very few interested towards what was going on. She merely smiled at him, a content and happy smile amidst the crackling snaps of the flame and the soft dim roar of the fire.

"I think this is some sort of pre-quest dialogue." Kirito began to the group, "None of the dead bodies slain in that short battle have disappeared into the death animation yet. This will probably turn out into a quest."

"What sort of quest though?" General Shiage asked him back, her dark brown eyes essentially black in the night's air.

"From logical deductioning I believe it will either be a hunting quest where we will have to kill one who is corrupted; or to find one of the relics left by the [ _Teldazikim_ ] empire and destroy them." was the reply of General Shizu, her grey eyes sparkling against the orange licks of fire that flickered before her, "It is also likely possible that we will have to shut down a gate into the [ _Void_ ]. All are possible."

"You just jinxed it!" General Ko exclaimed, the little kid whining and sighing, "Now it is probably going to be all three!"

"No … you just jinxed us. Idiot." General Arashi sighed as a solid loud thump could be heard, the giant fist of General Kyojin upon the little head of General Ko. The big man merely shook his head before giving a semi-warm smile towards the little child.

"It'll be a piece of cake. Don't you worry." the big General easily stated, confidence rolling off him in waves as he removed his hand and sat relaxedly.

They all fell to silence as Venator Val-Shor returned, each step measured and calculated, in his arms a large softly pulsing golden crystal snuggled comfortably into his chest. He looked at them once more, before lowering the crystal down on to the ground in front of where he sat. The pulsing golden diamond shaped crystal was large, easily the size of a grown mans torso. They watched as Val-Shor stretched out his hand over the crystal, his open left palm facing the pulsating crystal before arcs of golden molten light snapped between them. Crackling and jerking like electricity that touched various locations before arching to a new one. Just as quickly as they came they disappeared.

"This is a [ _Life Force Cyrstal_ ]. It is something that [ _Guard of the Archons_ ] strike teams are required to have. Within here holds the charge of substantial [ _Life Force_ ]." Val-Shor looked down at that piece with an old smile, a knowing look within his eyes, "These have saved many of our kind. When something did manage to wound us these would supply us with the strength we need. Now Kirito, we need you to absorb this into yourself." those were the words that he said before his mask snapped up to look at him.

"Why?" came back the simple response from the Executor. His twin green flaming eyes peering through the blackslits of the leader's mask.

"My brothers yearn to have your blood spilt upon their blade. We have vowed to never allow someone who accesses the [ _Void_ ] to live." the cold reality washed over the entire group; from watching their fighting skills and prowess in battle if these people decided to kill them there would be no hope of stopping their blades. Each were as strong, if not stronger, than Kirito at that moment, "However you have not slipped into insanity, a trait common amongst those touched by the darkness. Therefore I believe you can be changed for the light. Will you take it?"

"If I deny?" he asked, the question carrying across the clearing with a mere wave of wind.

"We will kill you all." How something so cold could be said from someone who claimed to be of the light shocked them greatly. Kirito sighed, this would be nothing but a simple skill change; he didn't need to be so caught up in decided an answer, it was simply especially if a denying of this request would lead into battle.

"Alright, I'll do it." Kirito stated simply, answering his demand and question. No point in fighting NPC's that were incredibly much more stronger than them, it was just a skill anyway.

They watched as Kirito faced his right palm outwards to the fallen crystal, fingers clawed sightly. Immediately golden sparking lights arched into his open palm, it pooled within the middle of his hand, glowing and pulsing like the beating of his heart. The light shot through his body, visible lines of it swirling around his arm before traveling up into his chest. He could actually feel the darkness being pushed back, feeling a warmth fill his entire being that seeped into the very center of his bones; enveloping his entire being with light. Slowly his armor green flickering lights disappeared, extinguished as though the powerline had been cut out from under it. The empty grooves haunting the sight of everyone within the clearing as Kirito slumped forward as though dead and defeated. But then they watched as from his gauntlets the lines began to be filled by golden molten light that pulsed and weaved like a living sentient being. They snaked through the hollowed out grooves, sloshing like water and only to eventually settle into a steady streaming impulse of life force.

"This will replace your connection with the [ _Void_ ] with the ability to wield [ _Life Force_ ]. Use this new found gift wisely, we will monitor your progression even if you do not know we are watching." the Venator stated calmly as though he did this everyday, the finally subsiding glow from around Kirito left him with a whole new look.

From what once had been green and black nor changed into black and gold. His eyes were like molten gold, swirling whilst every line on his armor that had previously been filled with energies of the [ _Void_ ] were now filled with the powers of the [ _Life Force_ ] of this world. He could now wield the energy that resided within all living beings. In his new form Kirito looked even more intimidating than before; the black and green had made him look like a feared monster straight out of the depths of hell, but this new look made him look like a powerful and terrifying warrior who would not hesitate to slay anyone that happen to cross his path in succeeding the destruction of an old enemy.

Where the golden crystal had once laid was now an empty spot with only the slightest black char on the ground hinting towards its existence mere moments ago.

"You do not have the same curse as us, for you are still of physical flesh." Val-Shor informed him with his deep voice, "You can sacrifice your own life force to channel your abilities, making them stronger, but I would highly advise against that. You are mortal and of the physical realm, such a feat would most likely kill you. Do not attempt it unless you have gained new backings of life force."

"Thank you Venator Val-Shor for your gift. I appreciate it." Kirito said, but now it was no longer words that echoed forth from his mask but a deep sound that seem to simply come from nowhere, speaking to each within their own mind.

"What was that?" Argo asked the confused group, her eyes finally landing on the Guard, "What did you do to him?"

"It is merely a side effect of the mask he is wearing coupled with the life force coursing through his body. Nothing more than aesthetics really." the leader replied back to her snappish question, her concern slowly bleeding away, "Now if you would excuse me. My team and I need to find the relic holding this abomination of a place together before destroying it."

"Do you need any help?" Kirito immediately asked, activating the quest question and dialogue to appear as each of them had a pop up window appear in front of them.

 **[Return of the Void]**

[ _Venator Val-Shor of an ancient order is leading a team into the destroying the relics of a civilization eons past. You are invited into this expedition._ ]

[ _Do you accept?_ ]

[ **YES** ] [ **NO** ]

This screen appeared just before Venator Val-Shor said even a word and each pressed [ **YES** ] moments before he spoke.

"We are going to hunt down some relics of the [ _Void_ ]." he said, speaking to them, "I guess we could use some help, it would certainly assist in matters of others seeing you as a Redeemed." he nodded before turning around and walking away, a single hand behind his back beckoning them to follow his steps and come with him.

"That talk was almost too easy, I expected more of a challenging dialogue." Kirito murmured to the group behind his new black face mask with golden swirling eyes that glowed with power.

"Well, you can't always have an interesting conversation can you?" Argo teased back.

Their figures slowly disappeared into the darkness as the entire camp of Guards packed up at the shouted orders of their captain and moved out, trailing the grounds in search of the [ _Void_ ] relics that would most likely end up with the destruction of the [ _Hell Zone_ ]. That means that another [ _Hell Zone_ ] would form later on somewhere else and they would have to swap farming grounds. Kirito sighed, after all the mobs from the [ _Hell Zone_ ] would not despawn after the field was destroyed, there simply just wouldn't be any new mobs spawning or respawning; this meant that if they killed something that was it, it died. That is until they found a new place to grind for gear, level and Col. But all of this was shoved to the back of their minds as darkness seeped around them, each step taking them closer to the heart of corruption and vile evil.


	12. Chapter 12 - Temple of the Forest

**Chapter 12 - Temple of the Forest**

"[ _Dungeons_ ] _in this world do not contain an endless amount of monsters. Instead they hold a few key Elite or Boss level mobs that have to be faced before reaching the treasure. Each of these rooms are connected with hallways or tunnels that are filled with traps designed to immediately kill an unfortunate victim. Most of the other mobs would be found outside of the_ [ _Dungeon_ ] _._ " ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Dungeons

Before them was a small door frame cloaked by the fallen vegetation around it like the veil before a mystic. It was a dark maw surrounded by moss covered darkened white stone, strange symbols carved into the crumbling shell. The wall of wood coupled with a rising body of stone, a literal mountain covered with the living bodies of trees and vegetation. All of them could feel the echoing tendrils of darkness reaching out to their minds, attempting to corrupt and change them into something out of the darkness. The crunching of dry dead leaves stopped as the large party themselve stopped, each of their weapons held loosely within their hands as the soft whistling moan of a haunting wind could be heard moving through the [ _Silent Forest_ ]; this was definitely a sign of danger when sound was made from silence.

Together, almost as if they shared the same mind, they began to walk forward, each step tentative as they stared down the mouth of endless darkness. But just as they reached a mere step away from the darkened hallway, limited light showing an old hallway with ancient carvings throughout the walls whilst the forest roots spanned against the ground and walls, a single sound pulled them out of their walk. All turned around, and all got into their various ready positions.

Before them appeared a gathering of beings from the shadows, darkness flowing off them like oil off a ducks back. Each were about two to three meters tall with long stringy limbs that gracefully moved like the slow fluid movements of water. Their entire body, skin and armor alike, seemed to be made from grey wood that smoothly blended when they moved. Long fingers that ended in sharp points, webs between their fingers, that curled and uncurled whilst they advanced against them. Their faces were sharp, harsh and angular, pitch black eye holes staring at the venturing party with mask made from the grey wood with thin black lip lines meeting many grooves of their mask.

"Caeduces." Val-Shor whispered under his breath, easily heard by the gathered warriors. The entire player and Guard party numbered thirty, with the twelve from [ _Seido_ ], whilst they stood against gathered beings, that when counted, came to a total of twenty five, "Be very careful, they are the examples of what happens when the [ _Void_ ] corrupts sentient beings."

"Guardians." a snarling echoing voice rolled through the two parties, a single Caeduce walked forward. Each step silent, almost as if he were more gliding than walking, "To what do we owe the pleasure?" it was only then that the players realized that the being before them had not even opened his mouth, the echoing deep of his voice was either a change due to his mask or his thoughts being projected like words.

"Vlak dash gan ka." the Venator replied, his own words echoing like the corrupted being before him, "Why are you here?"

"Why … to FEAST ON YOU!" it said before its previously looking glued shut mouth split open with a scream. A bloodcurdling scream that interwove pain and terror into the very hearts of the party, a scream that was copied by every other Caeduce with rows upon rows of jagged teeth flashing from their demand for blood. It dashed forward, a black gangly clawed hand rushing toward Val-Shor at such speeds that the entire motion appeared as nothing more than a black blur. Only to be met with a golden shield of pure [ _Life Force_ ], the orb levitating and seperated in the hand of the Venator like Kirito had seen before. The corrupted one stumbled back, an agonizing high pitched scream ripped forth from its teeth filled mouth as smoke could be seen curling off its body where it had met the shield.

"You who are made from nothing cannot stand the contact of everything." the Guard captain thundered righteously, "For the Archons!" was the war cry the captain yelled before dashing into battle, his blade blazing gold as he did so. The other Guards roaring the same cry as they too charged up their blades and ran forward, engaging in combat with the corrupted ones.

"Shukaku! Heigun! Get into the [ _Dungeon_ ]! This will be your place!" Kirito thundered as he himself charged forward, igniting his [ _Taldariq_ ] which now turned golden, imbued with the [ _Life Force_ ] obtained earlier. But yet it was still the same except now golden wisp of light curled and flickered around the blade, the brightly shining molten golden crystals underneath pulsing with power. In his other hand, what once had been the [ _Void Essence Blade_ ] was now known as the [ _Archon's Blade_ ] and it too, like its counterpart partner, glowed with the molten golden light of life's energy swirling around it, wisp like smoke curling. Both now looked identical, now in combat it would be impossible to tell them apart. Out from his back where there had previously been black smoke like wings were now golden ones that pulsed and flourished like that of an angel. In his mind Kirito was a little annoyed at what had happened, he liked the color black, it was darker than this foolish golden light. But all that stopped the moment he came into combat with a Caeduce.

With changing his alignment from [ _Void_ ] to [ _Life Force_ ] it had changed a number of his skill names and flavor text, but there was one new skill added to the gigantic list that were already at his disposal; one that indefinitely made up for the lost of his hard earned months of mastering the _Void Arts_ from earlier. This new skill was called [ _Freedom in the Life Force_ ] and granted Kirito this one unique toggle ability and it was that Kirito could now empower his blades with the speed and strength of _Sword Skills_ , but did not need to follow the preset skills that were used by the majority. Instead he could swing his blade in any direction, pattern or method that he wanted to and it would still strike as fast and as strong as _Sword Skill_. Now he got to put this, as well as his remembrance of real sword fighting to the test.

He easily sidestepped the Caeduce fast swipe, a quick flick of his wrist sending a blade streaking up that amputated its arm. He made to stab his left blade through the chest of the beast but it jumped out of range quickly. It screamed at him, mouth wide whilst the terror of death tried to creep into his mind; thank RNG that his helm still provided the mental barriers against such attempts. He watched as monster bounded forward once more, leaping at the last second as it swung out with its left arm, Kirito immediately activated his shield into that one point, a translucent golden hexagon appearing and stopping the strike of the Caeduce. Yet it kicked out with its right leg, slamming into Kirito's torso and blowing him back into a tree, his body slid three meters down to the ground with a resounding thump. He activated a full body shield, feeling the starting of mental strain taking place within his mind; he normally only did one hexagon to protect him in that specific area as it drained him less. Within a flash of a split second the corrupted monster was on him, teeth trying to gnash through the shield, left arm slamming over and over again.

The beast flew back after its initial movement surged died down, the rebutting power of the shield sending it flying back as Kirito willed the kinetic strength behind all of its previous strikes to be flung back at it. Getting up the Executor dashed forward and stabbed both of his blades through the chest of the Caeduce, the creature screamed in defiance of death, screamed a primal screech of pain as the [ _Life Force_ ] burned it; but then it lifted its head towards its assailant and and then roared. A wall of green energy sizzled as it was unravelled and unleashed from around the Caeduce, forcing the swordsman to release his blades in an attempt to move away; only to fail.

The blast flung Kirito back with such force that it chipped away a fifth of his health, skidding as he dug his feet into the ground along with his hands he winched at the strength behind that attack. He looked up, only to dodge to the side as a bolt of [ _Void_ ] energy passed by him in a blur of dark green color. Flinging out his left hand Kirito utilized his first _Essence Skill_ , that is the list of abilities gifted to him by the [ _Life Force_ ], and watched as arcs of golden molten light smashed into the corrupted beings torso, lifting it into the air before blowing it back as if it had been punched. Sparks of golden like lightning arched around it as it collided into another tree trunk. It fell to the ground, smoking and unmoving with twin golden blades sticking out from its back as Kirito looked at his own hand in wonder.

Pushing off the ground he flew towards the monster controlling the residue [ _Life Force_ ] that was sparking around it as a result of the _Golden Life Strike_ and lifted it up against the tree, holding it there. However he could already feel his control slipping almost immediately, a consequence that saw an arm fall limply to its side, as the [ _Void_ ] nature within the creature sucked up the [ _Life Force_ ]. He jerked out the blades from his stunned enemy that caused the body to jerk, spinning around in a full circle he decapitated the beast as his hold over it disappeared entirely. Kirito watched with satisfaction as it finally hit the ground whilst starting to glow white and baby blue, the throes of death animation taking over its body.

It was the first sound of death that echoed through the [ _Silent Forest_ ], and it certainly would not be the last.

 **LINE BREAK**

General Heigun and General Shukaku were racing down the darkened hallway, only the soft ambient light necessary in all [ _Dungeons_ ] was what kept them from not knowing where they were going. Around them the carvings of ancient creatures, images of battles long ago fought, or struggles waged within families, flashed by them as they sprinted down the hallway, desperate to clear it. They had a mission, a [ _Quest_ ], and they would not fail it.

"We must be careful of any traps this place holds." Shukaku softly said to him as they ran, "[ _Dungeons_ ] are known to be notoriously deadly." the only confirm she got of him hearing her was the brief sharp nod she viewed out of the corner of her eye.

The two of them slowed as they entered into a large wide opened room, faded white pillars dotted the room, some completely broken as moss had overgrown the marble surface. Dotted around them were scattered remains of what looked like a deadly battle, the bodies of various wooden people scattered and shattered all around them. The brutality saturated the air, making it cold and darker than it was before; both Generals head snapping up at the slight shift in the atmosphere.

There were no words passed between the two of them as they stared at the new comer. The being was entirely made of darkness with twin large circular white eyes that stared coldly at them. Long gangly limbs dangled from its torso, legs bent slightly at the knee as if ready to charge whilst spike like spikes hung down from its head like a replacement for hair. Yet no detail beyond this could be seen, an entire body cloaked in darkness suddenly rushed forward at them, streaks of black following its movements.

Heigun immediately responded by whipping out his staff, spinning it with the flashing blue colors of a defensive skill known as _Bell's Defence_. His staff was spinning at such speeds that the clawed hand of the unknown creature would be jerked away, any other player would have had their wrist broken or forearm snapped, a feeling that is most uncomfortable. Meanwhile Shukaku unleashed her twin golden scimitars, they flashed with yellow trails of light as she spun towards the target. The being cloaked in shadows hissed at them without any visible mouth, its wide white eyes creepy as if it were analyzing them situationally. It lunged forward again, only this time at General Shukaku, she brought both her blades up as a defence whilst Heigun blasted the monster back with a nicely placed staff strike, sending it skidding against the wall whilst it screeched at them.

"[ _Marvok_ ]." Heigun whispered reading the name of their opponent through his higher level analysis skill, "Level 780." he sighed.

"We're nearly 200 levels below that." Shukaku whispered out, her hands tightening over the hilts of her blade as she readied herself.

Bracing for impact as the beast rushed at her with a mere blur, her swords catching both arms as it attempted to claw down into her body. The staff of Heigun lashed out, knocking it off balance with a _Five Hit Combo_ that left a small golden circle, marking a weak point. General Shukaku immediately took advantage of that as she became a hurricane of golden lights flashing around her, the occasional blue lashing out as she struck the weak point over and over again; offsetting the beast, only to lash out when it gave an opportunity. A quick backflip placed her outside of its range as it let out an ear piercing screech at them once again, pure white eyes being slowly taken over by tendrils of darkness.

"Weakness is light." Heigun continued as he stared intently at the [ _Marvok_ ], "We've dealt about a fifth of its total health." this time it was him who leapt forward, whilst true that his nickname was Peacekeeper amongst the ranks of the army of [ _Seido_ ] he was an absolute brutal warrior in the face of his enemies. His staff spun in a dizzying display of control and skill with it, the spins hiding many feints and fakes, until the last moment when it struck out, catching the beast throat with his staff and flinging it back. He pressed his advantage, landing heavy blow after heavy blow against the retreating form of the [ _Marvok_ ] before finally holding it down with his staff pressed heavily into its chest.

"This wasn't so bad." Shukaku said as she sank to her knees, driving both blades into the skull of the mob and then spinning in a full circle, ripping apart the head within a matter of seconds.

They both watched as the beast slowly dissolved into the typical death animation, what was once the darkest black suddenly turning into the brightest white as sky blue polygons floated off it like lost pieces to a puzzle. Shattering, that was the sound that always followed after, a sound many of them had gotten use to already; a sound that echoed through their world when death had gone by. A byproduct of the death game they were trapped within.

"We still have quite the walk to go." the Peacekeeper said, walking towards the exiting door, walking slowly as both of them advanced past the room. Before them was another hallway, yet this time there were other door frames on either side, darkness seemed to ooze out of these rooms like the fingering claws of the damned, "This does not feel safe." he murmured to himself as he took stock of the hallway.

General Shukaku merely walked forward, taking a tentative step in front of him whilst her eyes darted around, looking for any clues that might give away a trap; seeing as much as she could potentially see in such darkness and dim light. She could feel apprehension settle a tight chain around her chest, anxiety creeping up its head and whispering into her ear. There was no way they could get through this hallway without dying, there were certainly too many traps, hidden from plain sight. Shaking her head Shukaku cleared her thoughts, narrowing her eyes as she stared.

"Heigun …" she trailed off, he knew perfectly what she was going to say.

He sighed, sitting down on the damp ground with both his hands resting on his knees. His eyes closed as he wondered, as he thought, as he planned and strategized within his mind. An idea passed through his mind, a crazy one that would possibly get them through this hallway, possibly a path that could provide them safety. He stood, looking her in the eye as he rose gracefully, right hand holding his staff as a support.

"I have an idea." he said looking at her, their eyes meeting one another with tentative touches, "Use full body parries just the way Kirito showed us, we might be able to get through with that."

Shukaku let out a soft short laugh, "I did not even think about that." she said with a toyful smile aimed at him, her eyes warm as she glanced at him, not noticing the faint blush that flashed across his cheeks.

"Well. Let's get to it." Heigun said giving a short laugh bark back, readying his staff as he moved forward, colors of white, light blue and green flashing around him like an orb of color that repelled all attack. General Shukaku beside him covered in her own rippling orb shell of golden and red lights as she walked a mere step behind Heigun, protecting herself from any potential danger.

The first trap sprung was a typical cliched, one seen in many previous movies; a barrage of arrows flew at them from the darkness. They were fired out from the dark door ways, speeding towards them in streaks of wood and iron; sparks flying as some were brushed aside. However quite a few got through their defences with those arrowheads barely missing them or hitting them somewhere non-vital. Both gritted their teeth, the only one amongst them who could easily deflect arrows with nothing but blades was Kirito, Shukaku was not terrible at it, yet glancing over at her Heigun could see a number of arrows sticking out of her; they were slowly being turned into pin cushions. The only blessing in this scenario was that due to time and age these arrows did nothing more than slowly chip away at their health, no poison effect taking place, no debuffs blinked in their HUD sights; a small blessing amidst a hailstorm of misfortune.

Suddenly two spears were flung out at them from near the opposite doorway, streaking with the orange colors of a skill being used. The first struck Heiguns staff, knocking it off course with its kinetic force and immediately seven arrows found themselves slamming into his body, staggering him and allowing even more. The second skidded against the wall, leaving sparks behind it, before falling to the ground with a clank.

"Heigun!" Shukaku yelled, jumping closer to him as she protected him more at the cost of allowing arrows to slam into her. But that brief few seconds was all that he needed, immediately his staff was back up, the spinning orb of color there. Then both of them blasted forward with _Sonic Leap_ , continually blocking away arrows as they ever got closer to the next door frame. Yet when they finally did reach it both were blown back by heavy axe cleaves that had descended from the ceiling, blowing them right back into the path of an endless infinite hail of arrows. Once more they pushed forward, staff and blades flashing as they carved protective circles around themselves, a quick glance of his [ _Health_ ] confirmed to Heigun that he was well into the yellow, a dangerous place to be.

"Finally." he gasped, leaning on his staff for support as they brushed by the twin dangling axes, their form simply hanging there like puppets with their strings cut. His left hand digging into his hip pouch and pulling out a square cube with a crimson liquid swirling within. Lifting the lid he tilted his head back, pressing the cool glass against his lips and drank the thick, slimy substance; a bittersweet taste lingering afterwards. A grimace flashed across his face as he brought his head upright once more, catching the quick look of disgust that Shukaku had; those flask were detrimental for survival but it did not mean he had to like them in any manner. They were absolutely putrid.

The new room they were in was a little bit creepy, just a little. It looked like as if they had just stepped into a cube with liquid like shadows, it oozed from the walls, slowly trickling down like blood coming forth from the walls. The ground covered with slick slime of darkness so dark and so deceiving that it almost seemed solid, that is until Heigun took a tentative step in and it clung to his shoes like the hands of those damned to eternal darkness. Then a strange thing began to happen, both players watched as the darkness slowly receded, revealing steps that travelled downward. The room descended past the floor they were standing on now for at least five meters, displayed as the darkness pulled back with the sound of a horrendous sucking, to show grey dulled stone, cracked in places with tree roots bulging out like vicious fingers.

A cackling of some demented being raked across their senses, behind them the grating sound of stone grinding against stone echoed past the ominous dark hallway. Heigun turned only to see a stone door firmly shut where they had stood mere moments ago, the dangling axes long gone. He turned around, taking a slow step forward, bending his knees slightly as he stepped down the short small staircase, stone crumbling away from its weak form and rattling down. He jumped the last few steps, heavy quarterstaff in his hands as he slowly looked around the room, General Shukaku mere steps behind him, attempting to locate and pinpoint the witch like cackling that bounced through the room; black shadows still pooling towards the back of the room like a gateway into another world.

They watched as another form, just like the one before, appeared; except this had one small difference. It was completely dark as the last one, made from darkness instead of skin, no detail seen except for the black body. Large circle white holes acting as eyes slowly appeared, growing from mere the size of a pin to an entire dinner plate. It stared unceasingly at them, a slight tilt of its head as it appraised them. A mouth formed slowly, the splitting of darkness as a clown like smile appeared, white light shining brightly from what seemed like parting lips. It walked towards them, slowly with jerking steps as if it were a robot, the darkness still trying to completely merge with this being. A hand reached out towards Heigun from the massing shadows behind the lone head that hung like a skull, he stared wide eyed at the monster that loomed above him. But a quick flick of his staff, an unconscious movement drilled into him after hours upon hours of practice, knocked the hand away before his body followed through with a single strike upwards, blowing the creature back. It merely stumbled, the damned grin growing ever larger as it suddenly flung its head back, letting out a maddening cackle.

"That is no [ _Marvok_ ]." Shukaku breathed out, "This is more like a demon straight from the depths of hell." she whispered, hands tightening around her blades as the head snapped back before a screech, a mere traveling of sound, flung both of them back into the wall; and darkness descended upon them like night itself.

Heigun gritted his teeth as he started his defence, the staff spinning around him faster than ever before as he allowed training to over take his mind. Each slash of the creature's hand was kept at bay by the flashing arcs of orange, white and bright sky blue; colors that he started to think he would never see again in the endless black. A quick blow to his stomach that had slipped past his guard blew Heigun back as the breath was knocked out of him, out from the darkness in a puff of black and slamming into the wall. He groaned as he glanced at how much life he had remaining, taking a quick chug out of another [ _Health Flask_ ], healing as the vile taste assaulted his senses. This almost tasted like the medicine he had to take everyday back in the real world.

"Shukaku!" he screamed, watching as the shadows turned inwards with brief flashes of gold bulging the black mass that whirled like a thunderous hurricane around the lone General. He heard her scream in pain and immediately saw the shadows stop bulging, instead they whirled even faster.

He rushed forward, spinning his quarter staff in the fastest method he knew as he slammed through the pulsating whirlwind of shadows before him; his face set grim as he battled against the endless darkness. Flashes of bright blue forcing the darkness back with heavy strikes that chipped away at its immense [ _Health_ ], each step felt like he was stepping against the wind as it battered on around him, but instead of wind it was the whispers of horror and the darkness that plagued every child's mind. Heigun could feel his willpower fading, wavering, but the cutting scream of his friend knocked him out of his reverie; with gritted teeth he leapt forward breaking past the last wall and entering the eye of the storm.

He finally found her with five shadow spikes driven through her body, countless flashing hands ripping at her, slashing away skin and invoking even more screams of pain as the red and white crisscrosses underneath reminded them of this fake reality. His eyes hardened and for the first time Heigun, the Peacekeeper, let go of his reservations of anger, hatred, frustration; a primal rage so powerful that when he roared the darkness withdrew for a millisecond. It leaked away like water flowing from a broken glass as it slipped out of her body; she was unconscious, blissfully unaware of the pain that would have racked her body had she stayed awake.

Heigun always kept his anger in check because of what had happened earlier during the game. It had been fresh out of the announcement that they would live this game out as if it were their lives. He had snapped that day, rushing out into the fields with his freshly bought staff that he had hoped to store, hoped to see after he logged out and met with his family for their dinner. He had been a good child, never rebelling against his parents, always getting the highest marks, getting a good degree and eventually a nice home to call his own. But yet now, just after his younger sister finally graduated high school, just when they were going to celebrate; they were pulled away. On that first day of this death game he had gotten into a scuffle with another player over farming grounds, both not in their right minds.

They had shoved, swore, roughened each other up a little; but then it got driven too far. The other player had pulled his sword on him, using _Sword Skills_ that cut into him, skills that left him screaming even if the pain simulation had only be left at 50% after the start. In his rage, and fear for his own life, he had struck out with his own staff, not knowing that as the head was one of the vital areas the damage would critically strike, instantly knocking the player unconscious with only a sliver of life left in him. He had ran, only to later hear the screams of a dying player echo out in the empty plain behind them. From that day on he had sworn to be the grown up he was supposed to be, sworn to keep control of his temper like never before; sworn out of guilt which left him bedridden for two weeks. That is until he heard the army being drawn up for the [ _Battle of Sueokano_ ].

But now, he would ravage this obvious boss by himself, he would strike it down for harming Shukaku. They, as few of the older players, had gotten along well and had spent some nights talking whilst staring into the sky. He had found a connection with the group of Generals despite some being so much younger and more immature, he had found a connection with a people that shared the same reality as him; a death game. Yet now the person he had undoubtedly gotten the closest to laid on the ground because one attack had slipped past his guard. His light chestnut colored hair clung to his head whilst his crystal blue eyes hardened like diamonds, impossible to break and extremely sharp. A thunderous wordless battle cry erupted from his lips as he dashed forward into the shadows, a quick long swipe of his staff connected with something, physical force flowed through the staff and quivered through his body. He snarled before pulling it forward and followed up with a terrible _Four Hit Combo_ that connected with the head of what looked like an empowered [ _Marvok_ ]. It was blown back, shoved against the wall whilst the shadows receded into it finally, leaving nothing but a huge behemoth of darkness that laid stunned against the cold stone wall.

In this final form it looked like the [ _Marvok_ ] with its body being gangly and thin, long limbs spread out like vines from a tree. The white cold circles forever open whilst it's damned smile kept upon its face like that of a psychotic clown. Three arms hung loosely on either side of his torso, each ending with sharp razor fingers, each long and gaunt like skin pulled over bone. Wisp of shadows smoked off its body constantly, giving it a hazy look; one that was hard to pinpoint. Heigun narrowed his eyes, scanning the body with a high level [ _Observe_ ] and froze as the information settled in.

It's name was a [ _Valmasohk_ ], and it had four [ _Health Circles_ ] that slowly rotated on its back, the outermost already empty and cracking whilst the other inner three hovered just off its spine and pulsed the land crimson behind it. It started to get up, stone cracking underneath the pressure the [ _Valmasohk_ ] placed behind getting up, six arms pushing its body into a position where it stood at least three meters tall. Heigun glared at it, unintimidated by such a mere size difference as rage and anger flowed through him, his hatred for this creature overflowing his normally calm reserves as he let out another thunderous roar and jumped at it.

Six arms descended from the sky like bolts of terrible black lightning, each barely turned aside by the smallest of amounts by Heigun as his attempt at offence was immediately turned into his normal stonewall defence. He brushed aside another three more clawed slashes, only to respond by slamming one end of his staff into the chest of the boss, twisting it as the monster let out a screech of pain, before he jumped back with staff in a defensive ready position. The beast screeched at him before jumping forward again, ignoring the pulsing golden light upon the center of its chest. Once more the hail of six black fist rained down upon him, and he struggled back against the endless attack. But even as that last hit fell he knew he wouldn't be able to beat this monster, even through his rage he knew that there would be little to no hope for his victory. Death was waiting for him. If the armies second ranking General had no chance against this, what did he?

At that moment Heigun realized that he had never felt more alone, never felt more isolated and weak as he failed to even be able to hold up against a single boss. He couldn't even save Shukaku, couldn't even help her now that she was out, and once he fell so would she. Where were the other Generals? Where was Kirito or Argo? Where was the face of his younger sister, the one who just graduated, the one he cherished and wanted to hold one last time; where were they? He could see the darkness surrounding the walls, creeping like corrupting veins through the walls, interweaving through the cracks and slips of stones. He stumbled back as he held the boss at bay, each swing of his staff knocking one limb off course by the smallest fraction. The back of his foot touched the body of a knocked out Shukaku, and he let a sad smile adorn his face whilst he stared directly at [ _Valmasohk_ ] that attacked with the fury of hell itself upon the unrelenting General. He lunged forward through an opening, knocking back the middle hand of its right side before sending a thunderous blow against its jaw, actually knocking it a meter off the ground. A quick leap and the forceful downstroke of his staff that carried all his shame and guilt of the murder on the first day, that carried his sorrow for not getting to know Shukaku more, pain for never seeing his sister again, all carried with the point of his staff as it slammed against the length of the creature's body.

The first contact was against the simply small golden point in the center of its chest, inflicted by Heigun, before the rest of the staff met with the rest of the monsters body and slammed it into the ground with enough force that the stone underneath them shattered. The _Heavy Critical Strike_ decimated the monsters health, especially considering that his staff landed on its head, neck and torso, as well as the amplified damage point. It should also be taken into consideration that when the creature's head crashed into the stone ground another set of _Critical Strikes_ echoed through the monster's body. It laid there, dazed and stun as half of the next [ _Health Circle_ ] had disappeared, revealing the grey patterned artwork underneath. Not missing this opportunity Heigun stood up, his eyes blazing with cold fury as he reminded himself of what it had done to Shukaku despite the fact she had been disarmed.

With rage that could have rivaled a vikings the Peacekeeper unleashed butt strike after butt strike against the single golden point, each amplified hit also _Critically Striking_ and chipped away at the small room boss's life. On his last strike the sound of a chain snapping could be heard echoing through the small cube like room, a quick glance at the rotating circles behind the monsters back revealed that two out of the four [ _Health Rings_ ] were still glowing crimson; however a bad news was that his amplified strike point had timed out, and that the monster was no longer dazed. It whipped its feet around, knocking Heigun off his, before a single barreling fist blew him into the wall, cracking it and causing him to scream in pain as he slided off the cracked stone wall. But the creature wasn't done with him, it took two quick strides before simply punching two clawed hands through his chest, puncturing it with his entire palm appearing on the other side of his back.

Heigun let out a scream of pain, fire flooding through his nervous system as it pulsed around the two holes in his chest. He cried out in absolute agony as he felt the creature slowly pulling its hands out, the other four grabbing him and flinging him into another side of the room, slamming against another wall and allowing him to fall to the ground after. He moaned, eyes squint tight as pain stabbed him over and over again in his chest, a strange cold emptiness moaning as it passed through the holes of his chest. He gingerly raised his right hand, touching the edge of his wound and let out a moan as pain flooded him in even stronger means than before.

He turned on to his back, groaning at the pain flooding his systems at even that, his left arm fumbling with his pouch button, fingers trying to find the flask cap before pulling it out, and slowly, shakingly, raised it to his mouth. The cold, slimy liquid burned like hot fire down his throat, he finished it, allowing his left hand to fall with no strength remaining. Only to feel the cold darkness reaching around him, lifting him up and throwing him into the air, for a few seconds he could feel the weightlessness, the same sensation that flooded their systems when they flew; euphoria. This ended when the beast punched all six hands through his body, clawed fingertips ripping through artificial skin and muscle.

He screamed, agony coursing through his body like as if acid had replaced his blood, he screamed again as tears poured down his face, the pain overwhelming him. Suddenly he felt a strange sensation, like as if he couldn't feel his right leg; then a new source of pain raced through his body as if the pain sensors were fighting over which could hurt more. He ripped out a scream from his mouth with newfound energy, screaming and crying as the beast tore off his leg with its mouth; the sound of bone crunching and the slurping of blood and flesh loud in the room with nothing but screams vibrating everywhere. He couldn't think anymore, all his mind could feel was pain and to cope with it he retreated into himself, away from it; detaching himself as much as he could from the overwhelming agony ripping through his body like the claws of monsters.

 **LINE BREAK**

He was falling, disappearing into a world of complete darkness. It surrounded his every thought, every motion, it rolled over his skin like a second layer and caressed him like some demented being. He recoiled, attempting to go through his meditative trance for peace to flow into his mind; a normal act that he did everyday and an act that allowed him to be known as the Peacekeeper. But nothing stopped it, nothing stopped the coldness from seeping into his bones, circling like ants into his very being. He gritted his teeth, trying to trash and twist away, yet only to find he could not move; he could feel his body, he could sense his limbs, but there was no movement. Then in certain points the coldness became even colder as darkness pooled around them, circling his skin like sharks circling a prey.

Pain.

Pain ripped through his senses and he tried, oh how he tried, to keep it in. Tears leaked from the corner of his eyes as he tried to fight it back, tried to withstand the devastating pain that was slowly consuming him like the darkness.

"Help. Please." he whispered out, the quiet voice sounding like thunder to his ears when they travelled out through the darkness that was around him, "Please. Help me." he cried, the sob cutting past his attempted mouth dam and a cry bubbled forth from his mouth. It was a cry to anyone, the person who saved him was irrelevant; he just wanted to leave this darkness, wanted to leave this pain.

But then he was falling past the darkness, slowly it lost its grip on him. It reached out of course, trying to latch on and hold him as he fell past it; but they failed. He continued falling, dim grey light slowly coming into being against the darkness, so slowly did it change that one would almost not know the different if they did not pay attention. The air around him was still cold though, and it wrapped around him like a snowstorm, nipping away at his flesh and causing him to shiver. Then he stopped. A spongy and soft feeling holding his neck and underneath his held him firmly, he could feel the warmth from them as it slowly bleed away the coldness from those areas. The wind whipped around him as the carrier rushed away from the beast before settling him down on the ground softly. A distant boom echoing through the cubed room as the boss collided against the wall.

"Heigun." he heard the tender whisper calling out his name and he struggled to focus through the pain that once more reared its head like the ugly monster they were fighting, another scream unleashed from his mouth as he cried out, sobs racking his body as he tried, and failed, to keep himself together after such an event.

"Heigun." the voice whispered again, this time he succeeded in pulling back his sobs, muffling it by biting his own tongue and lips; and briefly through the pain he could feel himself resting on something firm but yet soft. He could feel hands gently brushing through his hair whilst the other held something that tasted so vile against his lips. He tried to shake it away, not wanting anymore discomfort. But yet the person who held him held him true, prying his weakened mouth opened and pouring the drink down his throat, the feeling of goo and slime slowly inching its way down his throat appalled him. Then the soft firmness underneath his head was replaced with the cold, hard and mossy floor of the dark room. The warm hands which had stroked his hair gone, replaced with the cool air of the [ _Dungeon_ ]; then the voice whispered to him again, "Rest. It's my turn."

Shukaku slowly rose from her kneeling position, wounds healing and life being restored due to a flask she had drank earlier. In her hands were the twin golden scimitars that now spun dangerously like arcs of yellow bright lights. She was silent, unlike the raging General Heigun her attacks were cold, calculated and precise. Her blades swung around her in slashes that ripped into the creature as it lunged forward, yearning for blood against the Peacekeeper. A bright white light speared through her blade, the light of a _Parry Skill_ as it immediately unleashed a devastating counterattack afterwards; the glowing blade sliding across its chest and shredding the darkness. She leaned back, dodging a swipe that came dangerously close to her face, the whisking darkness barely missing clawing out her eyes. A single leap back lost her all the ground she had fought for as the beast pushed its advantage, six flaring dark arms rushing around her like the whirlwind of darkness.

Suddenly [ _Valmasohk_ ] took a step back, slowly fading into the darkness that surrounded it. A maddening cackle bouncing through the darkened room.

"Show yourself!" Shukaku demanded, yelling into the endless black that was starting to surround her.

The only reply she got in return was a witch like laughter that sent chills down the back of her spine. Her loud yell awakening the other General as Heigun slowly returned to the land of the living, his eyes fluttering as he tried to open them, winching as soreness coursed through his body like that of after a torn muscle. He groaned, one arm pushing off the ground as he leaned up, soreness and pain exploding from his core muscles.

Heigun glanced around, sight a little blurry as he tried to get the swimming feeling in his head to stop. His hands grasping against the floor as he tried to find his staff, another moan escaping his mouth.

"Heigun." he heard the warm soothing voice speak to him, different than the harsh one that had been ripping away around them. Soft skin covered his hands, the cold wood pressed into his palm. He looked up and saw the golden blonde hair hanging around an angel like face as though the golden curtains of heaven were coming down themselves. Warm comforting brown eyes met his as she pressed the cold staff, after such extensive exposure to darkness it was bound to be freezing, into his hand all the while speaking comfort and strength to him through the ways their eyes met. A soft gentle smile lit her face as she help him stand slowly; the monster waiting in the swirling darkness as if it had some sort of honor to it, "We'll beat it. Together." she said firmly, staring at him with powerful eyes as she broke eye contact and scanned the surrounding ground for the boss monster; barely catching the affirmative nod and set determined mouth line that shot across his face, out from the corner of her eye.

"You take three arms and I'll take the other three." Heigun joked, a cracked smile bouncing between the two of them as she snorted. Then they stopped as the air changed from the mere waiting of a beast to the tense approach as one instinctively knows something horrible is about to happen.

The only warning they got for its approaching attack was a sudden slowing down of the shadows and a bulge in that specific location.

Grappling arms that rushed out were like a tidal wave of darkness, one that could rival the power and strength of a tsunami. Shukaku breathed in and then breathed out, sinking herself into the fighting form that Kirito had devised for them. She allowed her mind to wander amongst the fluidity of Form 2, going over motion after motion. She walked along the mind isles of Form 3, the constant motions swirling and whirling like protecting tree roots. She bounced on the balls of her feet as her mind recalled the principles of Form 8, letting each bounce synchronize with the rushing darkness. When the darkness was a mere meter away her eyes snapped open and her twin golden scimitars blazed into motion just like the last time. However this time, she had a reason to fight, a partner to protect, a person whom she called friend; and this time she would not let him get hurt.

The first hand was headed right at her face and with a deft white flick of her left blade she nudge it out of the way; the force behind it blowing wind past her. At the same time her right hand subtly pushed a second black rushing shadow away from impaling her through the stomach. The creature screeched in anticipation as its third hand lanced towards her face, hand wide open as it readied itself to grab her head. She smirked. Due to the kinetic force behind the last two blows each small nudge caused her blade to actually bounce off the rushing past arms. Shukaku used the rebound of her blades to suddenly flash her attacks in right in front of her face, each metal blade slicing through the darkness and cutting the arm off in two separate pieces. The anticipating screech transformed into one of pain as it wailed about the lost of one of its limbs.

Not waiting for it to finish roaring she whipped out her right hand like a whip, the blade flashing across the short distance towards the creepy face of the [ _Valmasohk_ ]. It raised the last two remaining hands on that side towards protecting its face, Heigun's staff lashing with the power of a falling mountain, each strike definitely damaging the creature as it failed to break through the Peacekeepers defence. Yet her attack at its face had been merely a ruse, a feint, and in a flash as quick as lightning Shukaku lowered her body into a slight crouch, spinning around in a complete circle as she rose, bringing her twin blades up; each trailed by sky blue light that reminded them of a hope that they fought for. The metal blade sliced cleanly through solid shadows, darkness parting as bright baby blue light travelled through it; it wasn't so much a cut as it was the darkness fleeing from light. Form 8, a fighting style that relied on feints to distract and then speed to strike like a viper without mercy or remorse.

[ _Valmasohk_ ] reared back, arching its head back and exposing its neck with a scream of rage and pain as the [ _Health Circle_ ] behind it dropped down into its last innermost one. In a quick, bold, and very stupid move, Shukaku flung out her sword, the blood red trail mirroring the blood that had begun to slowly overtake the boss's eyes, turning them from large white circles to blood moons. The sword spun like a windmill, light trailing it like the tail of a comet as it sped towards the monster, it had started to bring its head back down to cover its exposed vitals but did so too late. The blade struck its neck and stayed, blowing the head to the right from the sheer might of the thrown blow and immediately cut down a large amount of its life. Whilst it screamed even louder, the remaining three arms quickly reaching up to try and rip out the embedded blade that had stuck like a cleaver to pork fat.

Out of the corner of her eye Shukaku viewed Heigun jump into the air, his staff still spinning as he allowed the power and speed of each spin to build up. It was a dazzling display of shining light that displayed a mastery over Form 7 with his target being the air in front of him. His heavy staff spun like a mill of light that changed, swirling and switching through the various colors of the rainbow. Red. Green. Orange. Yellow. Blue. Violet. Indigo. They flashed by in sequence so quickly that all of this was filtered subconsciously within the space of mere seconds before Heigun unleashed his attack. It was like watching the fall of a great old oak tree, year's amounts worth of power, life, strength, fortitude, endurance and now death all rolled into a single black strike. It struck the head of [ _Valmasohk_ ] with the falling crash of falling timber, the blow so powerful that it actually floored their opponent. The ground shattered underneath them from the might of his blow, his left hand further along the body as he held it pressed against the monsters head; pinning it to the floor like a criminal under the weight of the law.

Shukaku walked up towards it with her single golden scimitar held loosely in her left hand. The creature screeched, attempting with weak jerks to rise from the floor. But the lost of three limbs on one hand, broken three on the other as well as the dazed status from a direct blow to its head, made it impossible. It was unbalanced, out numbered and now weakened with a mere pulse left within its [ _Health Circle_ ]; the last drop of life in what previously had been an ocean.

The ending slash came so quickly that if any observer had been there they would have not noticed anything. Shukaku had gone from stock still into an after slash attack position with her right leg forward after she had brought it down whilst both arms diagonally crossed her stomach, the blade held tightly in her hands. The decapitated head of the [ _Valmasohk_ ] slumped against the ground before the bright white glow crept along its body like vines; cracks of lights that pierced through the darkness and made both Generals squint at the sudden glare. They had been in darkness for so long. The sound of loud shattering glass exploded outwards like the exploded body of their adversary, sparkling polygons dashed in the wind as they were blown away by an invisible force, shattering upon contact with the walls around them. They merely stood in silence for awhile, tiredness suddenly swirling around them in the aftermath of what had been a typhoon of darkness.

"It's over." Heigun breathed out slowly, leaning on his staff as if he had suddenly aged into an old man; weariness evident in the tensed tired body of his, each like the wrinkles of old age.

There was now a broken hole on the top of their cube like room, soft filtering light entered whilst a thick wall of trees mainly covered the hole. A roof made from leaves that allowed soft sunlight to filter in, casting the corners of the room in further darkness from the contrast whilst the two stood within the circle of light. Both looked up as leaves fell down around them like the confetti of victory. Pings echoed in each of their minds as a reward screen popped up in front of them; ignored instead as they stood close together, basking in the presence of another. The brush with death having shaken them.

"It is." Shukaku whispered, afraid that any loud noise would suddenly break the temporary peace they had. She glanced over to the man standing beside her, they were both in their mid twenties and he had proven to be called more than just a man, "Are you okay?" it was a silly question of course, he was obviously not, but yet the amount of authentic warmth that flowed through her words seemed to calm them both. A bond had been forged here, a bond that would not be easily broken; a bond of camaraderie. A friendship tested by the brink of death and the flames of a cruel reality; one for life and perhaps, just perhaps, something more.

"I am now." came the reply, he tilted his head slightly to see hers, a weak smile painting itself across his face. Crystal sky blue eyes meeting warm luscious earth brown that danced beside each other like that of the wind and the trees. She could feel herself slowly disappearing into his gaze and feeling a lightness, like as if she was flying, spreading throughout her body, "You saved me Shukaku. You saved me."

There was more than what he was just saying, she could tell. A hidden depth and darkness behind those words that she had not experienced, that she had only seen and felt her heart break at the sight. But he would not stand alone, not now nor ever. And somehow she knew that he had gotten that message, their silent eyes speaking in manners that words nor mouth could ever rival. She smiled at him, reassuring him and he smiled back.

"Let's see what we got." she murmured, turning away and immediately feeling a pang in her chest, those eyes were absolutely beautiful and if she wanted to she could probably stare at them for days upon days.

The bright light of equipping new gear filled the room and once that had died down both looked at each other in awe. The drops from this [ _Dungeon_ ] had certainly proven worthwhile, although that was debatable considering the emotional and psychological scarring that Heigun had now.

Heigun was dressed in what could only be described as forest armor. It was most definitely made out of some sort of ironwood that was a forest green in color. Thicker shoulder guards made from a grey version of the same material protruded slightly off his shoulder. A wooden shield with two antler horns on either side, hung from his back like a backpack; the symbol of twin arched trees circling a circle painted on. It covered his entire back, hugging his shoulders and ribs like the embrace of a lover. Around his waist a red cloth hung like a half skirt that came around to the side of his hips, faded colors screaming ancient armor. Dressed across his legs were firstly an wooden armor belt, stripes of wood hanging from it and covered his upper thigh whilst dark brown breeches disappeared into twin black boots. Leather straps criss crossing like the age lines of an ancient tree. He had adorned upon his head an open faced helmet, straight lines decorated the cheek guards and curved behind his head and carried a faded green pulse through them. These lines appeared all over his armor, like valleys of nature that were filled with the life of the forest, pulsing like the ancient valleys and dips of the earth. Heigun hesitantly touched his armored chest, skin tight gauntlets with hardened armor covering his forearms, and gave out a soft ' _woah_ ', his gloves ended with tipped claws. Replacing his previous staff Heigun now carried a thick dark brown staff, each end was slightly rounded with the same lines as on his mask running down the body of the staff. The same faded green light flowing through the weapon.

To Shukaku he looked like an ancient guardian of the forest. But when he looked up at her and gaped she blushed and immediately felt self conscious.

She was dressed in a relatively tight outfit with an inner clothing of faded indigo, a beautiful complementing color to the rest of her gear. It looked like leather but had the qualities of silk, providing some form of protection whilst also providing comfort. It was extremely comfortable on her, hugging the right places and never pinching her in any manner; almost as if it had been molded for her perfectly. Over this was a light brown leather like material that curved around her body like the hands of a charming man, snuggling against her hips, her thighs, her arms and her chest. Bronze lines tracing the dirt brown leather in intricate patterns that all resembled leaves, they flowed perfectly along her armor and only served to aesthetically make her look beautiful. On her right thigh, around her ribs and over her chest as well as on both forearms and on either shoulder were light green metal armor that formed the third layer. Upon them were once more the swirls and curves of an expert hand, each pattern forming leaf upon leaf, giving the armor a look of one sown straight from leaves; the only contrast were that these lines were white. She wore no helm but instead had a circlet around her head, thin branches with few leaves intertwined with the most amazing silver. Sitting against her forehead was a symbol made from the same indigo as her undergarments. It looked like crescent moon lying horizontally with three lines within the concave shape. In her hands she held twin khopeshes, the blades made from golden hued bronze whilst a dark brown line ran along the middle of the curved blade. Brown hilt acutely held within her palm like one forged personally for her.

"Woah." Heigun said in awe, his eyes locked on her as he stuttered for words, mouth opening and closing like a beached fish. The sight bringing a slight giggle to Shukaku's as she shrunk a little, very aware of how tightly her undergarments were wrapped around her, and despite the outer layering of armor which covered her modestly she still felt a little shy. Especially with Heigun staring at her like she was some long forgotten goddess who had just stepped down onto the earth.

"Come on Heigun. We need to get back to the others." she said exasperatedly, a silly smile adorned on her face when the stumbling block of a man tried to follow her. Each step taken staggeredly and with a loud thumping force that resounded through the ground, vibrations felt underneath her feet. She let out a laugh when he couldn't even get up the staircase, falling and tripping over his own feet as he continued to just repeat the same on word over and over again.

She turned to look at him, holding her arms behind her and slightly bending down as he was still two steps from the top. A small unconscious pout forming over her lips as she teased him.

"Am I really that pretty?" she asked him, not really believing that he was so tongue twisted just because of how she looked.

She had never really considered herself beautiful in any means, never really thought herself to be mouth dropping as Heigun was right now; but apparently the man behind her did. She laughed when he blushed furiously, finally closing his mouth with a clop before ducking his head to try and avoid embarrassment; breaking eye contact for the first time. He sighed, the heavy drop in his shoulders telltaling his evident defeat before he trudged up the remaining stairs. Shukaku merely laughed at this, waiting right in the middle of the staircase till he reached the last step. When he had finally gotten over it and stood before her she gently placed a hand on his chest, meeting his eyes with hers as he suddenly got all flustered up again, the red blush spreading across his face like a pandemic.

"I'm flattered." she said with a wicked grin before twirling away and gracefully walking down the hallway back, her beautiful laugh almost lightning up the dark areas.

Heigun sighed, shaking his head before following her; only one thought plagued his mind the entire way.

 _I'm so dead._


	13. Chapter 13 - Air Temple

**Chapter 13 - Air Temple**

" _Bosses and players do not just have their name floating around their head like nothing. Rather to find out the title or name of an individual, the one who is trying to learn, must have a high_ [ _Observe_ ] _skill level. When in a party, only one individual has to state the name which was previously hidden and everyone gets access to the same information; as if a veil is lifted off the object._ " ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Observation and Names

A heavy mist hovered just above the damp ground, silvery and white like grey cotton as it slowly rolled across the floor, hiding many things from view. Sitting on a nearby log was General Ko, his wakizashi held gingerly in his open palms as he took care of it, maintaining the blade with a sharp wetstone. The sharp ring of grinded stone against metal rang throughout the clearing like a knife through water in this silence. General Arashi leaning against a tree across from him, various others from the army of [ _Seido_ ] stood whilst waiting for the two who had ventured in. The famous storm warrior had both his arms crossed in front of his chest, a soft worried scowl forming across his face.

They had successfully repulsed the Caeduces with no casualties from their end, many had fallen before the blade of the Guardians as well as the blade and power of Kirito. The single crack of a dead branch snapping in half alerted them to the presence of another. All their heads swivelled to look at the two newly equipped Generals. Their forest armor making them stand out strong and powerful in the shades of black, green and grey with the pulses of faded green illuminating the area around them softly, blades sheathed along their body whilst they walked side by side towards them, as if it had been pre-synchronized and planned.

"Heigun? Shukaku?" Ko asked, his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape; like the rest of the group.

"What in the blazes of ten suns happened here?" General Arashi inquired, pushing off the tree he had been leaning on using nothing but his back and shoulders; his hands gesturing wildly to their clothing.

"Blazes of ten suns?" the figure of Heigun asked. A confused expression, and equally confused tone, displayed on his face like black paint against a white canvas. His mind trying to reel and understand the implications of such a statement, "What?" he asked very confused.

"Nothing." Arashi quickly replied, a wry grin forming across his face, "Just an old saying of mine from RL." the chuckle vibrated through his chest and out, slowly infecting each person with a smile of their own.

The sound of many boots crunching against the ground, the sound of metal clanking against metal, echoed out in the humid fog like toiling bells. They slowly appeared, golden and white armor brushing past the background invisibility to stand tall and proud, radiating light as if they were some kind of lamp themselves. The Guardians, they stood in a semi-circle around them, each focused upon any possible movements the two returned Generals could make. Swords were pointed at them and each pulsed with golden sunlight that arched along the blade like sun flares that raided the surface of stars.

"Woah. Woah. Woah." Heigun said as he raised his hands into the air in the universal form of surrender, showing his two empty palms to stop them thinking he was a threat, "What's going on? Why are you pointing those swords at us?"

"Have you been contaminated by darkness?" Val-Shor asked them directly, both his hands gripping his blade tightly as he brought the hilt to his cheek, resting slightly against it. It was a testimony to the upper body strength of the Venator to be able to keep the blade steady, straight and pointing at an opponent whilst using nothing but his shoulder muscles. His hands twisted a little as he took a single step forward, the other Generals of [ _Seido_ ] reaching for their weapons as what seemed like their allies suddenly turn into their enemies, "Gal-Hadun what do you sense?" he asked another Guardian out from the corner of his mouth, his eyes never leaving the two stockstill figures.

"They are … not contaminated." the man, referred to as Gal-Hadun, answered the Venator quickly and efficiently, only stopping to check if he had his answer correct in the right place, "I can sense darkness lingering around them, but it fades like snow in the midday sun." Gal-Hadun lowered his blade, and so did Val-Shor, as well as the rest of the group.

"My apologies." Val-Shor immediately apologized, "I have seen far too many men return from expeditions unknowingly corrupted by darkness; only to turn and murder everything during the night." the leader of this strike team bowed at his waist, his torso suddenly becoming parallel with the ground. The golden righteous blade had been returned to its place, sheathed at his side. His actions spoke in volumes, an apology straight at the returning two.

General Ko shook his head, sitting down back on his log and returning to sharpening the wakizashi in his hand. He remembered when Kirito trained him, remembered what had inspired him to learn the forms he learnt, to fight the way he fought. During the time where Kirito was taking them through the various Forms of combat, Ko had remembered a small little passion he use to have as a child. He had an absolute love for Star Wars and immediately upon this opportunity gave himself over to become like Grandmaster Yoda. The little green fighter who astonished people by his skill and speed with the lightsaber, power over the Force and wisdom beyond his years. Ko aimed to be like that. A little green smurf, not blue. Green.

"You are forgiven Val-Shor. We understand." Heigun said, the cool diplomatic mask settling over his face once more even despite the fact that he was talking to a mere NPC, a [ _Quest_ ] NPC for sure; but still just an NPC.

Ko would never really understand that man, then again he was just a ' _young teenage child_ ' as according to Kyojin; a scoff escaped his lips at the mere thought of such an audacious claim. He was young that was true, and it was a fact that he gladly accepted. Youth did not mean foolishness. For most it did mean a lack of experience regarding what most people would consider ' _the real world_ '; a notion that found itself entirely unsupported and irrelevant. A mere shield and mask for those who considered themselves more experienced in matters of life. No one area of society, or of life, is more ' _real_ ' than the other. One cannot claim that the business world was more of a ' _reality_ ' than perhaps working with a charity organization. Being youthful gave him an outlook on life, one of innocence and naivety that the adults, or more ' _mature grown ups_ ' had forgotten. They had forgotten what it meant to simply be loose, be free, be imaginative and let yourself go wild. To him, they were the foolish unwise ones. For all their experiences that they claimed were drawn from ' _real life_ ', he saw them as no different than simply being the flipside of his version of life.

"You from [ _Seido_ ] are strong. However this battle against the darkness is not over. We could use your help for longer." the voice that resounded within their heads clear and loud with each and every person, "There are two more points of darkness. Will you assist us?"

The opening lines for a [ _Quest Continuation_ ] were obvious, and if any of them had missed it the pop up notification box certainly could not be dismissed. All of them pressed down on the [YES] button, letting the small invisible box collapse on itself before zooming away to their right and disappeared into thin air. Then again, could what which could not be seen disappear? It was an interesting thought that floated in Ko's head as he continued to walk along. His was not a mind of what was, but what could be, what was the possibilities; what was possible. However he was forced out of his wandering mind as the collective [YES] from everyone in the player group resulted in the next stage being activated; they were once more about to start moving.

"A single gift for all of you." Val-Shor suddenly announced after everyone had gotten ready, "It is one that I think you will all find beneficial."

A quick gesture of his fingers called over another Guardian. This one walked with the strides of confidence born only in either the arrogant or the powerful, the six slits on the mask pulsing with golden light as the being faced him. The voice that echoed forth from its speech was harmonious, smooth and pleasing to the ear as it wrapped around them like a cocoon, infiltrating their minds with the gentlest of breezes.

"We gift you the ability of [ _Blind Soul_ ]." the voice evidently pointed towards a female, the smooth voice screaming of a woman's touch like a gentle carass across their faces, "It will render the telltale colors of what you call _Sword Skills_ to be entirely nullified. From now on your blade will only shine with a color of your choosing." a wave of her gloved right hand, palm facing them whilst a golden glow shined forth, was all they saw before being captivated by the new sight before them.

Arcs of golden light streaked around them, striking the ground before suddenly deviating and striking a tree beside them. Thousands caging them, spinning around them like the intricate designs of a spider web; a tool perfectly crafted for capturing its foolish prey. Yet this was not designed for death, no when the light started to wrap itself around them; first one strand that lightly looped around an arm or a leg. The sense of a warm breeze flooded through them like the breath of God. Soon all, besides Kirito of course who stood there staring in amazement, were covered in the golden strands. Within minutes each and everyone of them looked like they had been wrapped like mummies, but in golden glowing strands all coming from a single beings open palm.

For Ko he could see nothing more than a golden glow that surrounded his world. It was warm, like a summer breeze that swirled around him in a tornado but arcs of the golden strands fluttered across his skin like the soft touches of wind. Slowly a single golden strand dissolved into his skin, he jerked his arm with eyes wide as he stared incredulously at what had just happened. But then another one wrapped around his other arm, the warmth turning from a calming breeze more into a hot wet towel being tied around his bicep. Then they started rushing at him, strand after strand circling his body and disappearing into his being with the burning warmth of lit coal. When they disappeared Ko stumbled forward a little, his breath coming in gasp as he drew in the cooling air. The very air touching his raw warm skin was like ice being dropped down his back, goosebumps rippled across his being as the hot and cold met in a deadly dance, each seeking dominance over the body of Ko.

"Let us depart. We have much ground to cover before nightfall." Val-Shor stated, cutting through the recuperation phase that had settled over all of them. His voice cold like the chilly air and yet warm like the previously glowing golden cocoon which had pressed in on them from every side.

The group set off with crunching under foot as the dry dead leaves were crushed, the group fanning out into a single file as they started their climb up a narrow pathway through the mountain. Ko looked at the ground as he placed on careful foot after the other, gloomy grey lightning surrounding them like a never ending choking fog. The bulging stones, along the winding narrow path that zig zagged up the mountain face, were extremely slippery from the moisture of the fog. The path was steep, already Ko could feel the slight burn in his calf, the tensing of muscles as they moved in tandem to keep him walking forward. He knew that soon they would become extremely hard as the muscles tensed up beyond belief, this would be followed by the feeling of someone threading barbed wire through his calves and then pulling it repeatedly. Later when they stopped for a break there would be this tight sense where someone seemed to be grabbing his calf and tightening its grip slowly. The joy. He was entirely ecstatic. He would pull out his wings now, however they had a timer on them and he did not want to be without wings when the going got even tougher later on.

He reached out and grabbed a low hanging tree branch, grunting as he pulled himself up to the next step; giving his calf muscles a little relief amidst an ocean of amounting pain. Each step heavier than the last, each step sending shockwaves through his body like as if an internal earthquake was occurring throughout every molecule of his being. A sigh escaped his lips before refreshing air filled through his lungs, coldness sizzling down his throat spiking against the back of his throat and sending pings of slight pain into his brain. His wakizashi hung loosely at his waist, the cool hard metal bouncing against his clothed thigh, Ko placed one hand on the hilt, feeling confidence and comfort flowing through him as the feeling of the familiar hilt touched and coursed through his arm.

"Hey Ko." the voice of Kirito spoke out from behind him, his breath not even a little hitched nor phased; Ko wasn't even sure if he was feeling any muscle burns.

"Yeah?" came his reply, calm and composed despite the internal whining that was taking place. His eyes took in the detail of another dulled grey tree, the bark curved as it dipped over the large drop on his left; one slip and any individual would go flying down like a rock.

"The next temple will be yours and Arashi's to deal with."

Silence for a few heartbeats as Ko took a little while to process what he had just been told.

"I just finished speaking with the Venator. Hints from his dialogue state that the next temple use to be the home of air denizens. Knowing your style, maybe you'll find something you like there." Kirito reasoned to the fourteen year old teenager. Ko could find nothing wrong with that, it was nice to actually have someone else think about him. From the first time Kirito had found him as the last survivor of his group, the other man had always taken care of him.

The first time the two met was after an experience that still gave Ko nightmares. Ko had gone out with his party, a bunch of people he knew from real life that had logged in together. The sky had been sunny that day, bright and blue with few to little clouds dawned upon the great heavens. They had approached a forest tree line, a few kilometers away from the small outpost they had stayed at, to start the day of grinding and farming. It had started well as they hunted a few [ _Flying Snakes_ ] as well as the few [ _Wild Boars_ ] they could find. The party had consisted of twelve people with the oldest being fifteen and the youngest thirteen. They had been trudging through the forest, much like they were right now, when out of nowhere an invading force of [ _Seiyari_ ] jumped them from the shadows. Their spears had descended upon them like rains of death, immediately three had died to the advancing wild spearmen. Oh how they had fought back after the shock wore off, at which time another two had perished into the bright heart wrenching light as the sound of glass shattering became the wrenching sound Ko would hear for the next ten minutes. Finding that fighting was futile after their best player had fallen they fled like cowards, running away from the advancing warriors as their wings buzzed in the only hope they had; only to find themselves being impaled through the back one by one.

Ko would never forget the look on the NPCs face as they did this, a face of pure gleeful joy as if killing others was nothing more than a game to it. The wide spread grin gave the hard looking face a feralness to it that screamed beast instead of man. He remembered how the NPCs arm had been cocked back, long spear in its arm as it took aim to impale Ko straight through the heart; just like the pain that had embedded itself within him as the sound of his friends death carried across the winds alongside their blue polygons. It had been at that moment when the face had seemed to come closer to him, looming ever larger like the face of a demon; only to actually hit him in the face and bounce off, flesh meeting flesh in the virtual world before tumbling down into the forest floor below, glowing bright white and blue as it did; and exploding upon contact with the hard ground. Behind the exploded body of white had been Kirito, his blade outstretched in the final swing as the silence of the forest surrounded them once more, not even a hint of the screams that had permeated the air mere seconds earlier. Kirito had not said a single thing as they looked at one another, simply reaching out with one arm and holding an open palm before whisking Ko away into a world that was completely different. A world where he could be strong enough to protect those around him. A world where he actually felt safe despite the death game, a world where there was hope in the midst of a sea of chaos. Stability in futility. A world parallel to the depression, guilt and suffering. Mere inches away and yet at the same time entire galaxies apart.

"Sure. Thanks Kirito." Ko replied, brushing aside the rush of thought that swirled in his mind like a raging hurricane that blew away thoughts of anything else. Whilst they were on this trip Kirito had enforced that if they did not call him by his name, he would not respond. There was to be no formality during this hunting party.

 **LINE BREAK**

It was late night by the time they finally reached the second destination, by this point the entire team had been walking for over 5 hours. The stars twinkled overhead in their winking presence, illuminating the night sky as the group settled down into a clearing near the edge of a cliff. Trees curved away in a circular shape leaving a nice little opening, a safe haven almost, out from the [ _Silent Forest_ ]. The ground was hard, made from compacted dirt and stone with roots sticking out in odd places. The bustling from their group as they set up some tents, bedrolls, a campfire and some cooking utensils, seemed to echo emptily against the absolute silence that came from the forest. But over the edge of the cliff, looking straight down one would only see endless darkness, whilst looking up to find the tree tops. Where the cliff edge ended, the [ _Silent Forest_ ] extended deeper into its depths.

The campsite was soon split into two sections. One for the golden armored beings and one for the players, the two sections could not contrast each other more. One was bare of anything beside strange golden crystals that had been embedded into the ground at various locations, each pulsed softly and slowly; almost as if it was the heart of someone who was asleep. Contrary to this the players had set up a few tents and bedrolls, as well as scattering quite a few flame torches around the clearing to give off a soft dim light. However in the middle was a simple clearing with a relatively wide campfire. Very quickly there was a pot over the burning orange flame that had been started by one of the Guardians, as well as the delicious aroma of herbed stew.

Ko watched from a relative distance as Exota stood before the pot, shadows flickering around her as the flames ate into the sky. She threw in some strange long herb or vegetable, bending over slightly to take a wiff from the pot and nodding. He was leaning against a rock face that extended out and created a wall, a barrier that held off the trees from the forest line to the edge of the cliff. The stone was black as casted from the flames of the campfire and cold against his back despite the woolen cloth that adorned him. The fog that had previously been surrounding them all day had finally dissipated an hour ago, and for that the General was grateful.

"I hope she isn't planning on poisoning us." Arashi whispered over to Ko as the General pushed himself off the wall and started walking towards the middle ground.

"Who knows." Ko replied, "If Kirito was cooking I don't think he would even have to try to poison us. It just would be toxic already."

A short bark of laughter escaped Arashi's mouth as the two Generals reached the back of the line of others. Exota always expected them to be in a strict line or she refused to serve them food; this had been seen on more than one occasion and both male Generals were hungry; at this point even if they had to beg on their knees they probably would do it. That is after the torture of climbing this mountain they could still kneel of course.

"True that." Arashi chuckled, "True that."

Eventually it arrived to their turn, each second of waiting, each step closer to the pot, had been absolute agony. The smell of delicious stew had mixed into the air and resulted in the rumbling of stomachs as they were so close, yet so far away, from the food source. The flickering dancing flames casting strange shapes against their bodies that leaned into the ground and disappeared into the forms of shadowy monsters. Ko watched the tall broad back of Kyojin as he hunched ever so slightly, keeping his large hands steady as he held the bowl of stew, the dark brown curved little utensil nestled in his palms.

"Come on Ko, we don't have all day." Exota chided him, causing him to shake his head a little as he stepped forward.

Warm air rolled over him like a thick blanket as it flowed forth from the flames and danced along the air, weaving, ducking and twirling around him like an exotic dancer. The flickering beauty hypnotized his eyes. He could feel the sudden heat rushing into the wooden bowl that he had, warm and refreshing enough that it broke him out of his musing as it slowly swirled in. The piercing marble white stare of Exota hinted to him that he should move, and move he did; stepping well clear of Arashi as he did so to not spill his dinner.

Settling down on the damp floor near the other players, as they lingered not too far away from the campfire, Ko slowly brought the bowl closer to his face. He placed it against his lips, lightly tipping it and hesitantly sucking in a small morsel of the stew. The heat rushed through his tongue and into his body, the slight bitter taste of herbs lingering in an undertone as an overwhelming mix of saltiness, sweetness and the light tang of herbs rushed past his artificial taste buds and into his mind. Already around the gathering of players the satisfactory sighs could be heard as they took sips from the hot stew. Ko took another sip, feeling the warm liquid seeping throughout his body, easing aches he had accumulated from the hike as it worked like magic through his system. At that moment he was extremely glad Exota was on the leadership team, it was a blessing in disguise with the food she could cook.

"Hey Kirito." Heigun spoke up halfway through the meal, "When are we going to get to the next location?" it was a simple question that was something on everyone's mind no doubt. The soft grunt of exertion and then movement next to Ko meant that Arashi and Exota had come into the group as well. They shuffled a little on their buts, wiggling to the left then the right, in attempts to give the two remaining Generals some space.

"According to the Venator it's only fifteen minutes away." the Executor said with a shrug as he sat next to Argo, their mask retracted at the moment as they partook of the meal. It was only the Generals who knew what the Executor actually looked like, besides the Empress of course. This was no new accurance as one of the first things that had been asked of Kirito had actually been ' _What do you look like_?' asked by none other than Kyojin who challenged the authenticity of their leader. Of course it came to an absolute shock at the youthful appearance of Kirito after that and the big oaf had challenged him; only to be promptly beaten over and over again in a one on one duel.

"So ..." there was a little trail of silence as Arashi looked at Kirito expectantly, as did the other Generals, "Why don't we go now?"

"In a [ _Hell Zone_ ]? During the night? While everyone is tired?" Kirito asked the three questions in rapid succession, each one hammering through the Generals like a cold iron that was slammed in with three strikes from a strong powerful hammer, "I will not risk your lives in this game just because we are impatient." his glance around the clearing stared down each and every single one of the Generals in the eye, "I do not want a Leroy Jenkins here do you all understand? Do not forget that if we die here, we die in real life."

A soft chuckle ran through the crowd at the wry grin that Kirito had chucked at them when he mentioned the meme famous RPG celebrity for his stupidity in charging straight into danger. Despite the reminder of the death game they now lived, gamers would be gamers and would always find the silliness of that one man a humor to be immortalized.

"Alright. I think they get it Kii-bou~. No need to be mean to them." Argo teased him with a slight smirk adorned on her lips. They had slowly gotten used to the way the two interacted around in a more private setting. The first time it had happened the Generals had gasped at the way their leader seemed to belittle the Empress, who could well exile him on the spot. They had held bated breaths when she gasped and stared at him incredulously as if she couldn't believe what her ears had received. Then she had placed both her hands, in fist, on either side of her hips and cocked it to one side before returning with a sarcastic bite that could probably burn ice. The Generals had starred in silent shock as the two continued to playfully bite at each other. Now it was a common occurrence that the Generals were normalized towards.

Ko could have sworn he had seen a quick glimpse in both of their eyes of what could only be worded as yearn, or desire. It had disappeared quicker than it had appeared and he only thought he caught a glimpse of it. If the two ever did get into a relationship none of them would be surprised, each had their own theories and bets on when it would happen. Ko had placed his in the timeslot relatively far into the future; but would earn a huge amount of Col from it if he did actually win.

"Argo." he growled playfully as he half heartedly glared at her; or, Ko thought, would it be more accurately described as no heartedly glared? He had no idea. The two of them jived together too well for him to actively and accurately guess anything in all honesty.

"What? I didn't say anything!" she exclaimed as she glanced up innocently at Kirito, batting her eyelashes a little. The group laughed at his expenses when he let out a groan and slumped, placing his head low enough that his chin touched his chest before letting out a huge sigh. Ko found a laugh vibrating through him as he shook his head, shoulders trembling as he looked upon the sight of the Executor being conned down by the Empress. The strongest blademaster in their Kingdom taken down by a few words and bambi like eyes. Kirito was so whipped by this girl; no matter what he said.

The rest of the meal was relaxing, jokes thrown around the circle like bolts of laughter. More than once someone had choked on the stew as they caught themselves laughing at what someone had said whilst also trying to down the delicious meal; the hot liquid going down the wrong throat pipe. Ko had never laughed so hard in his life before, a few times he had keeled over in laughter, his head pressed up against the damp ground when Mizumi explained a situation where he had gone fishing, only to catch himself on his pants and then flipping into the lake. The sight of the mysterious like General being so, mundane, simply made it even funnier.

"Once I was playing this game with a friend of mine from school." Ko said, as they all had eyes on him now, slight smiles on their lips as if they were ready for another round of laughter, "And so we joined a public dungeon run. We bumped into this other player by the name of Lumos and you know, considering the name I thought it was some young teenager; and I guessed it was a guy too I mean what girl would name themselves Lumos right?" Ko slapped both his hands against his head in a gesture of exclamation like he couldn't believe it. A round of chuckles had already circled in the group as they found this slightly worth laughing at.

"Excuse me!" Exota exclaimed, "Lumos is not a guy name!"

"What girl would name themselves Lumos Exota?" Ko asked, "Yeah, hi my name is Lumos and I'm a girl! Ah! Much beauty. Such amazing." the youngest General said with a slightly higher pitched voice whilst he flipped imaginary hair away from his neck and flung his head to the other side, as if he couldn't even stand the sight of Exota. He smacked his lips like he had eaten something sour, the sound loud within the small group and resulted in the roaring laughter of the other Generals. Even Exota had a smile on her lips.

"Anyway! Back on track." the young General said with a chuckle as he returned to his story, "Right so I don't know why but that night my friend and I ended up talking about how, you know, girls did certain … stuff. But here is the catch, the player from the pub turned out to be an eight year old girl who had no idea what er … masturbation ... even meant!" Ko finished with a sheepish grin and wide spread arms up into the sky in a grand finale to his tale. The group bursted out laughing, a few actually rocking back and letting loose a loud roar of laughter into the night sky; twinkling silver and white lights dotted in the high heavens like lights of a far away city. The warmth from the flickering flames seeping into their clothes and keeping the colder night at bay.

"You ruined a little girl's innocence! You pervert! Cradle snatcher!" said Exota between biting gasp of air due to her vigorous laughter.

"Hey! I didn't know okay!" the despaired look on Ko's face just sent the group into another round of laughter as they shook their heads.

"Well I don't know about you but I'm headed for bed. This laughing has gotten me tired." Kirito spoke out as he stood up, stretching and arching his back like a cat. The golden blazing lines bright against the darkness around him, and the dull dark colors of his armor, "Good night everyone."

That was one of the things Ko loved about Kirito. He did not treat them like children, despite being the strongest player in their Kingdom and also their leader. He trusted them to make the right decisions and only pulled his executive command during moments of need. For example his choice of making them lay here for the night was logical, as well as in all honesty beneficial in the long run. But even now during the late night, he did not command them all to get to bed, instead he trusted them to do so themselves. To be independent and self thought instead of just blindly following a leader. A mere glance around the group circle saw heads nodding in respect towards their leader as Argo and him slowly disappeared back to the tents, before their eyes flickered back amongst the group. Slowly one by one the Generals began to excuse themselves and head for bed. Each standing up at various points after finishing a conversation before turning in for the night. Eventually none remained but Ko. He stared emptily at the bowl at his feet, black shadows pooled within it like as if that was the substance waiting for his consumption. Sighing he too left and before he knew it sleep shrouded his mind and he was lost in the black embrace of rest.

Ko realized that he was not the first to wake up when the sound of chattering started to slowly pierce through his veil of sleep. He grumbled under his breath, still mostly encaptured within the grasp of rest, and turned over whilst letting his consciousness disappear back into the depths of unconsciousness. But yet that small moment of disruption had caused slumber to falter its hold on him, the darkness was slipping away; only to be replaced by dim morning light of the early rising dawn. General Ko let out a sigh of displeasure as he groaned, sitting up and feeling his body protest from how sore it felt. The little circular opening above them showed the sky turning from its black, to deep dark blue, to the purple and pink hues of morning; all in one area. It would have certainly been stunning if for the fact that he was not so tired and wanted nothing more than to just go to sleep.

He looked to the right, and immediately stilled himself. Sitting off the edge of the cliff was the black cloaked back of Kirito, the material pooling around him as he sat with feet dangling off the endless black darkness. However that was not what had shocked him into stillness, it was the fact that right beside him was the figure of Argo. Her brown cloak pooling over his, lapping on top like two waves, one brown and one black; they merged and tumbled like the open oceans. Her head was tilted up by a single black gloved hand, her head a little bit to the left, whilst Kirito's head was tilted towards the right. Both their eyes were closed in silent bliss, her brown auburn hair flowing down her back beautifully like a waterfall that slowly rippled in the soft breeze around them. Her lips softly meeting his over and over again. Pressing herself into his lips, only to slightly back away and open her mouth; to once more dive back in and capture his again and again. It was not the rushed, passionate kissing that was done whilst in heat, but rather the gentle loving one that communicated feelings in ways that words could not.

Ko blushed as he looked down abashed, his cheeks burning bright red as he quickly laid back down on the ground swiftly and quietly. His back straight and arms firm by his side he simply stared at the open air above him before shutting his eyes hard and pretending to forget about everything he had just seen. Girls were still a little bit gross to him; they were interesting and he had sudden urges to kiss one, but for now they remained in the zone of ' _looking_ ' but not ' _touching_ '. Funnily enough, after that great shock that had no doubt shaken him awake, Ko fell back into the grasp of sleep as if it had parted just to poke its head out and see the event unfolding and then laying back down with its grasp firmly on him. His mind disappeared into the black space of rest and he forgot all he had seen, his mind putting it down into a dream.

"Ko." a voice whispered out from the darkness, it bumped into his mind and sort of stayed there, fluttering in space as it tried to grasp him; failing.

"Ko." a nudge this time, physical too, harder. It shook his body and the darkness that surrounded him slowly started to recede. But he didn't want it to go, it felt nice to be in oblivion. Ko could feel the very edge of his left hand and raised it, trying to find whatever was the issue and pushing it away.

"Ko!" the voice said, annoyed now in the tone. It was shaking him even more roughly, and the darkness retreated even faster. He didn't want that.

"Ko!" a large push turned him over from his side and on to his face. The sudden hard ground pressed up against his nose caused him to jerk up, pushing off the compacted dirt and stone with his hands and whirled around, glaring at whoever had done that.

"What do you want!" the teenage boy growled, glaring harshly at the acute and sharp angular face of Arashi. No doubt his eyes were smouldering with anger for being awoken from his slumber, especially after that strange and weird dream that he had of Argo and Kirito kissing.

"It's time to get moving man." Arashi laughed in his face, a wide grin splitting his mouth as he laughed at Ko's misgivings. The disgruntled boy glared back at the older teen before grumbling about ' _unfairness_ ' and ' _stupid timetable_ '. He quickly shouldered his pack, brushed his right hand against the hilt of his blade, and shrugged his clothing to a more comfortable setting and nodded once, still glaring at the Generals around him for awakening him.

"Let's get moving adventurers!" Val-Shor roared, causing a few players to chuckle as the group began to move in an instant. Ko could not believe these people. It was bloody eight in the morning! How could they do this to him! The young General sighed, shaking his head and clearing his thoughts as they began their supposedly fifteen minute journey. Knowing their luck it would probably turn out to be a fifteen hour journey that he would then scream bloody murder.

The ground was uneven from the get go, rising at incredibly steep angles in one section, then dipping so far down that they could not even see the end of the darkness that swirled at the bottom. It was like they were climbing over different mountains the entire way, a walk that was certainly tiring out the players to the extent that if any ambush team were to arrive right then, the fight would be hard pressed as players tried to stay alive. Ko grunted as he stepped gingerly down a single step, grasping tightly to the branch overhead as he stabilized himself, easing off the aching muscles.

"I hope we get there soon." Ko said breathlessly, groaning slightly as he pulled himself up once more on to the steep step made from even further compressed earth like as if a giant finger had just decided to come and press the ground in. It was even more compacted than the normal dirt they walked on, and thus made it all the more painful to fall down, which served as a great dissuader for going fast and losing your balance, "Because my feet are about to die."

 **LINE BREAK**

Arashi had heard the complaint of Ko relatively easily in fact, considering that the older teen was only a step ahead of the younger child. However the reason he did not bother to reply was because of the view before him. Clearing the last hill ridge had set them high at a peak looking down into a valley that was filled with the green leaves of treetops, the sloping angle slopes of the mountains covered in what seemed like green hair. The drop from where he was standing, alongside the rest of the Guardians, as well as some of the faster Generals, went straight down for kilometers, disappearing into the thick foliage of tree tops as if they were the grass off the floor instead. But what had really caught their attention were the three giant constructs rising forth out from the tree tops like mountains themselves. They were situated in the center of the large circular valley, the green leaves parting before them like commoners before royalty.

Each had a central rectangular building that reached high into the sky, it was surrounded by smaller towers, spirals of what looked like staircases on the outside rounding around them like snakes. At the tip of each of the central blocks were tall pyramids, their peaks pointing into the sky like fingers of the earth accusing the air for its corruption. Other buildings surrounded each of them, some small, some large, some short, some tall. Each in their own special design that was a shared theme between the three towers. Their arches, even from the distance, were absolutely beautiful and breathtaking, curving like the arc of a person's back, as they supported the old structures. Absolutely breathtaking.

"This is amazing." Exota whispered under her breath as the last Generals stepped into the sight of the valley and stayed still from shock. Her white marble like eyes tracing every visible detail from this distance, flickering from one corner to the other like a dashing dancer; beautiful.

Arashi suddenly turned around, his blade being drawn in the split second needed as the sound of rustling and growling could be heard from the screaming silence of the forest. All the Generals had turned around, and so had the Guardians, their golden pulsing hues standing invisible against the sudden shining light of the rising sun. From the tree line emerged a horde of skeleton like creatures crafted from wood. Branches interwoven together to form their bones that crackled stiffly upon movement, fingers that were long and gnarly, sharp even to the untrained eye, merely finished the look of a demon as it's back bristled with long, hard and sharp branches. A swirling black mass could be seen oozing out from beneath its ribcage, pulsing like a heartbeat as it pushed against the restraints. The glow, or rather the darkness, could be seen spreading to the head and flickering forth from its hollow eye sockets, or what was supposed to be eye sockets, like black flames. Out from their skulls came a clicking sound, when started by one sounded nothing more than drumsticks hitting against drumsticks; but then one by one they all joined it till it swelled like a giant tsunami about to consume them. Their clicking advanced before them, causing the Generals to step back at the sheer number that came forth, the terror debuff rolling off them in waves as it assaulted their minds.

"[ _Corrupted Tree Denziens_ ]." Val-Shor grimaced, letting out a thought that sounded grave within their minds, "We will hold them off. You will cleanse those three temples and save us. Good luck."

That was all they had before the monsters suddenly dashed forward. Of course with their awkward limbs it was not a very successful dash, but for those that fell down another simply climbed over them. It looked like a sudden rolling mass of dry branches that screamed murder, screamed a thirst for blood along with a demonic darkness that grinned lewdly at the thought of death and massacre. But sudden blazes of bright molten golden light, that arced between the Guardians and the oncoming horde, shocked the Generals into action as they turned and activated their wings, blowing off the cliff edge like arrows from a bowstring leaving nothing but the roars of warriors behind them as they faced off a nightmarish hell.

But for the Generals, the air howled around them, gripping at them as they pushed through it with wings buzzing and ablaze. Arashi grinned as the feeling of the air rippling through his hair set his mind at rest, he spread both arms out before doing a little twirl to the left, barrel rolling, and letting out a holler of ecstasy. He was the second most natural when it came to aerial combat, he was the most natural flier out of all the Generals. Not including Kirito of course. But as he thought of this, as he let his mind wander like a carefree child in the great feeling of weightlessness that surrounded him, the gut wrenching feeling of having his stomach somewhere far away, the adrenaline that coursed in his veins; he noticed a flicker on their left.

"Incoming!" Kyojin roared as he readied his blade, weighing it carefully in his left hand as he readied himself. When the approaching figure neared him the giant of a man suddenly lashed out, rolling over to gain even more strength for mid air combat and slashed right through the attacking hostile like a hot knife through butter, or in this case a glowing red hot cleaver through a pork leg. His blade trailing crimson red the entire way, like as if blood clung to his blade and trailed off behind it like the lives of those who had opposed him.

"Hurry!" Kirito yelled, his voice carrying the concern he felt for his Generals as they flew high above the tall treetops. Arashi believed no doubt that if one were to look at them from the distance it would almost seem like as if they were a group of pixies from Peter Pan, with their translucent wings and trailing shining particles. But even if they did indeed look cartoony, General Storm could not deny the fact that they were indeed fast. All of them were capable of keeping up with each other's speed. Of course he knew that Kirito and Argo were holding back to fly alongside their Generals; but that was besides the point.

"I'm flying as fast as I can!" Arashi yelled back to be heard over the winds, both of his swords held loosely within his hands as they hung out behind him like a third pair of cold steel wings that wouldn't hesitate to immediately cut into anything that crossed his path. His eyes narrowed as a figure approached him, "This one is mine!" the General claimed as he dove down to intercept the rising beast.

The mob that was quickly reaching them was large, it was about the size of a bus with a pair of grey leathery wings raised upon its back. It had no arms, no legs and looked like a giant flying grey snake, except its head was more compacted. It opened its thick wide mouth in a roar that got carried away by the rushing wind, rows upon rows of sharp teeth flashing as light reflected off it. The strangely looking human like tongue whipped out in the air as if it was attempting to eat the very space around it.

Arashi eyes narrowed as he got closer to it. Twenty meters. Fifteen meters. Ten meters. Five meters. Just before the two were about to collide the General banked his body to the right, brushing past the beast. It was close enough that he could see the individual scales upon the length of its body, slimy goop like substance disappearing off its back in droplets. Black beady eyes rolling in their sockets as they locked on to him, the head whipping around as it tried to follow the closest prey. Arashi flipped in mid air, using his wings to push him just high enough that as the creatures rushed past, it completely missed him; the sound of clopping jaws as it missed the target. However this position placed him in a perfect time slot for a second, he could see where both its wings met its body, and without even thinking; in a motion so second nature, the young man swung his arms from low to high; adding in a spin for both dramatic effect as well as practicality. His twin blades flashed like bolts of lightning, cutting through the bone filaments that held the wing to the creature's body, streaks of a sky blue light following his blades. He was off, not even bothering to see how the creature fell, not bothering to see how its mouth opened in a scream of silent terror, the roar disappearing as it was stolen by the wind.

"Come on!" Ko yelled to him as he approached the group once more, blue skies sparkling above them that seemed so far, so detached from the horror of war that was going on around them. As if nature itself was mocking them as it stared sparkling down against the world, watching them contempt for they were nothing more than mortals. The younger teenager motioned with his hand, waving him to them as the group rushed forward, still trying to get to the temples without dying against the mass number of [ _Hell Zone_ ] mobs.

The treetops underneath them flashed by in a blur of green and brown, like a wavering sea that slowly waved forth and fro with the currents. The feeling of air ripping at his clothes, swirling through his hair and flowing between his fingers was a feeling that Arashi never wanted to let go, it made him feel so alive. The first temple appeared ever more closely in front of them, growing larger and larger with each passing second as they rushed towards it like meteorites falling forth from the sky. He could now see the rough inscriptions amongst the stone walls, huge carvings that dug meters into the yellow stone, that spiralled as if they had been engraved not into solid rock but into water. Elegant swirls that spiralled into interactions that left a sense of wonder from simply looking at it, one could only wonder at how talented the author of these sigils had been for they were too beautiful to have been carved from the hands of man.

A slight tilt towards the left changed their trajectory incredibly as the small change in movement took them from moving straight to curving around the temple. Circling it like birds of prey as they slowly descended in a tight orbit, one that would bleed away their speed so that when they landed they wouldn't break their backs or legs. In a place like this [ _Silent Forest_ ], that was a terrible thought that sent shivers down their backs just from thinking about it; essentially a death warrant. The lower they got in their descending orbit, the darker the air became, colder and a primal scream that echoed in each and every person that death waited for them. Hidden in its own large shadow was the entrance to the first temple, cloaked within the darkness that surrounded it like coils of a sleeping serpent whose flickering tongue caused the air to whip around them.

They stood nearly twenty meters away from the door, another few hundred meters behind them as the group stood in a clearing before the door. Something, a small part of all of them, had told them to step. They were frozen in their positions, muscles tense and weapons ready in a circle as they waited like what seemed forever. Tension and suspense filling the air like gelatin to the point that even a blunt spoon could have cut through the atmosphere. There was no more sound, no more monsters that rushed at them from the treetops, none of their terrifying screeches that had been carried away by the wind anyway, none of their long slimey twisting bodies. There was no sound, even the breathing of the Generals were controlled and soft; the only thing giving this away as reality and not some picture was the fact that the wind blew softly around them.

Arashi glared in the darkness, his grip upon the twin blades in either of his hands tightening. All he saw were the faded peach colored slabs of stones that made up the entire temple complex; the walls that were made from this, the floors, the doorframes. He could see the minute details of these stones from his sheer concentration, small particles of broken off stone that rolled aimlessly from their descent. Their detail becoming more and more obscured as his eyes travelled to the darkened areas that oozed forth an uneasy feeling. It was like as if they were standing in the shadow of a giant beast, a giant dormant beast that had yet to be awoken; and once awake would rage havoc upon all things. Arashi's eyes flickered over to the left, skimming across the darkness like a surfboarder as he attempted to find something that would explain the cold anxious feeling that weighed down inside of his stomach like a sack of frozen bricks. It seemed to have nestled itself in between his intestines, twisting them into knots and cramping them together; the fear had begun to spread into his chest like vines of corruption slowly spreading throughout his body. He gritted his teeth, muscles bulging on either side of his jaw, whilst his eyes flicked to the right, trying to find something once more.

Suddenly the world slowed down for Arashi, suddenly everything became super acute in his vision like as if he was seeing the world through the eyes of a hawk. The rustling leaves in the background seemed to have slowed to a snail pace crawl, like almost as if time itself had turn into jello that was holding them all captive. But what had caught his attention, what had caused his eyes to widen so much, was the bulge along the top of the doorframe. This was an ancient temple made out of giant slabs of faded yellowish peach color stones that were easily twice the height of Kyojin in terms of length and height. Yet here, for where the world seemed to almost stand still, four of those pieces were being pushed outward; like as if there was a great force pushing in on the middle contact point between them. He was already in the motion of jumping back, Arashi could feel his leg muscles expanding as he pushed off the ground, his wings slowly beginning to flutter and buzz to give his leap even more power; something that he had done completely unconsciously. His mouth had opened, probably in an attempt to warn his comrades of what was going on, but his mouth opened slowly like as if he was an old man trying to chew down on a particularly large piece of steak. Yet his mind was processing everything that was happening at such high speeds. But before anything else could continue, whether it be thought trains of movements or a yell, everything was silenced when the beast smashed through the wall and appeared screaming with a thunderous screech that blew them back.

The world tumbled for Arashi, thrashing around and becoming strange. Up became down and down became up for more than once as the sheer appearance of this creature threw him back. Everything finally settled back into place when got his bearing, skidding across the ground as he slammed both blades into the stone, scratching the surface as his attempt to slow him down actually worked. Arashi stared at the sudden black hole in the giant construct, and felt his heart seize up at the sight before them. Its head was huge, just by itself as it easily reached the size of a bus.

It was as black as midnight with terror that came only from those of the deepest nightmares. Hardened bones protruded forth from its skin angling backwards, an underbite displaying its long serrated teeth. It screeched at them again, the long neck waving side to side like the body of a snake, twin pitch black wings slammed into the ground with claws at the very edge, leathery skin hanging between the arm bones to create dragon like wings. Rows upon rows of spines appeared in a rush down the middle of its back whilst its long thin black tail whipped around it like that of a cat. A purple glow emanating forth from its eyes as it stared at them before it reared its huge head backwards and opened its mouth, as if it were taking in a deep breath, instead violet wisp swirled around its mouth, dancing around the serrated sharp teeth like as if they were nothing more than a playground, a sharp whine filling the air like jet engines about to take off; a sound of death and a promise of pain.

A split silence warned all of them of imminent danger before their view exploded into a world of purple fire. It had launched a bolt right into the middle of the clearing, blasting a hole through the stone construct with the edges sizzling red hot, melted from the sheer heat of the dragon fire blast. Arashi crouched down, tensing his legs like a spring, before jumping into the air, his wings flaring as it caught a wind current and carried him easily. He watched as out from the dust cloud the Generals one by one appeared, streaks of gold and silver signs of the survival of Kirito and Argo. The Storm General quickly reached for his pouch, grabbing a [ _Health Flask_ ] and downing it, he had lost 75% of his [ _Health_ ] from the few seconds they had battled this boss. The feeling of air blowing around him caused his eyes to flicker to the left and to the right, seeing General Ko and Kyojin appearing beside him, the other Generals following behind their wake as they grouped up.

"What is that thing?" Ko asked, his voice tinged with awe and wonder at such a creature. His small form would seem foolish compared to the huge body of the boss.

"Looks like a wyvern." the comment came from Shukaku who was holding her dual khopeshes in either hand, their tips pointing down to the ground for the moment as she scanned the beast that appeared through the fading dust cloud as it settled back on the ground.

"It's name is [ _Savraera_ ]." Heigun called out as his [ _Observe_ ] skills cut through the hidden name of the beast and immediately revealed the same detail to them all, the Peacekeeper whistled when the [ _Health Circles_ ] of the beast appeared in their view. Arashi had to agree as he gave out a particularly loud sigh, "The level is 1784."

The wyvern had twelve [ _Health Circles_ ] and a huge, very huge, [ _Mana Circle_ ] that pulsed behind it. Arashi let out a groan, it was going to take a long time to cut this thing down. Considering they were in a [ _Hell Zone_ ], the level itself was way higher than any General here, exceeding even Kirito and Argo's level and no doubt was extremely powerful. The stats of this boss could probably be three or four times higher than those of normal mobs at this level, meaning they were efficiently fighting an almost divine like being. Arashi glanced at it, the boss was sniffing the ground as it tried to find where its prey had gone, lowering its head to the ground and trying to catch a scent. For now the Generals had time to train, but once the wyvern found them flying it would only be a matter of time before the battle would be taken to the air. Another factor to consider was the fact that the Generals wings had limited timed lifespans before they would have to return to the ground, none were like Argo or Kirito's which lasted indefinitely. But the moment they were stranded on the ground, they might as well be dead meat.

"Shizu, tell us the plan." Shukaku said, hovering there with her wings out and beating, as she stared at the one known as the Tactician.

"Ko and Arashi, I want the two of you to draw agro for the first few minutes." the sharp and cold voice of Shizu, the Tactician, spoke out to them like storm clouds that warned for a storm that was about to approach, one that would blow you away if you were not careful in a swirling wind of knowledge, "Kyojin, Nagawa and Mizumi; the three of you will aim for its wings in that time slot, get it to the ground or not we'll be dead within hours when our wings run out." Arashi shivered at that, the cold reminder of death awaiting them, but yet for now it was a distant thought, a vague theory and idea that sort of swam around his head; but never really interacted with him. Yet.

"The rest of us, we harass [ _Savraera_ ]. Keep the agro separated once it's reached the ground. Whilst it's in the air aim for its tendons." The plan seemed simple enough, basically it was to just get the wyvern down to the ground, and then completely surround it and destroy it from there. The typical strategy of a beta tester against flying units, the type of strategy you would see in a fantasy world of dragon slayers, "Let's go."

Arashi turned around, breaking away from the group as he rose higher into the air alongside Ko, their wing trails disappearing in the wind as the winds increased their speeds the higher they went. The world expanded out in his view when he finally stopped, he was at the same height as one of the taller towers of the temple, the green forest tops looking like an endless ocean of leaves that rippled like water under the gentle caress of the wind. He twirled the twin swords in his hands a little, letting them swirl around him like the very air itself as he slowly began to angle his body into a descent, leaning forward slightly. Ko was doing the same beside him.

"Well. Let's have a little fun." General Arashi said with a feral grin that split his face suddenly, his eyes widening with excitement as adrenaline coursed through his body like liquid fire, heating him up and readying him, "Let's go Ko!" he roared as he dove down, the whistling of the air surround his ears and filling his world as everything became a sudden blur; only the wyvern stayed in focus of his eyes as the rest turned into one large mesh.

As he approached he placed both his swords upon his right shoulder, letting the storm blue color fill over the blade like a coat of air. He waited, feeling the power of the _Sword Skill_ fill the blade as it yearned, and ached, to explode. When he was mere meters away from the wyvern's head, that had snapped up at his approach and had opened its maw whilst violet swirls appeared once more as it readied for another blast of hot purple flames, he unleashed the power of his blades, letting them carry him forward like the brushing winds around him. He spun, gaining kinetic energy and power as he dove forward, his blades arching down from his right shoulder before his body followed, allowing it continue its path of motion that soon turned into a pinwheel of action. He slammed into the boss with such power that it actually interrupted its charging _Skill_ , snapping its mouth shut in an explosion of blue lights that crashed into it. Arashi unleashed a ' _whoop_ ' of excitement before grinning as he looked straight into the eyes of [ _Savraera_ ]. His own smile could rival the predatory nature glimpse in the sparks of the wyvern's reptilian eyes.

Let the fun begin.


	14. Chapter 14 - Secrets of History

**AN: A thanks, and heads up, to _Greghero_ who is now helping to beta-read this story! His help has been incredible and well needed in improving this story ^^ Now please read and enjoy this chapter. Sorry I have been posting a little slower. **

**Chapter 14 - Secrets of History**

" _Aggression, better known as 'agro', is generated from damage dealt to a target. When a target is struck from various sources the source that has dealt the highest amount of damage overall will have 'agro' drawn to it. This will decay over time if that said source stops attacking. Therefore it is not advisable for anyone to unleash their strongest skills immediately, unless they wish to draw 'agro' unto themselves immediately._ " ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Aggression

Arashi bounded off the snout of the beast with two hops, his wings flaring as he somersaulted backwards, lifting him off and causing the wyvern to unleash a roar of fury that emanated like a shockwave, knocking them back as though giant hands had punched them. Out of the corner of his eye Arashi saw Ko being blown back, only to bounce off the wall like a pinball and slash repeatedly into the legs of the monster, trying to inflict as many hits to draw substantial agro. However the impact, the Storm General, caused had taken more than enough agro. Because of this [ _Savraera_ ] only had eyes for him.

For now anyway!

It crouched low like a lion before it pounced on its prey, gathering its strength and readying itself. In a flash it was off the ground, leaving cracked stones that softly cratered into the ground behind as a telltale of what had once been there mere seconds ago. He flew high, making sure to keep the boss away from his teammates, but at the same time within easy range for them to attack. A slight tilt to his left caused him to rush up in a spiral around the temple, every detail blurring into one mass as he flew past. As he reached the same height as that of the tallest tower amongst the many in the temple he spun around. With a quick flick of his wrist he swapped his right hand grip from a forehand to an icepick grip, flipping it so that now both blades pointed backwards at either side of his hip as he crouched slightly in mid air, making him look like he was sitting on an invisible chair. He saw the large black form rushing at him, wings beating powerfully like the drumbeats of an incoming cavalry, but it was at that moment whilst staring down his opponent, whilst feeling the air whip around him and glazing across his skin, it was then that he realized he was again alone.

There was no one else to be seen!

The other Generals had probably gotten themselves into position and were nowhere to be seen, Ko was probably still trying to catch up with the boss and he was here, sitting on an invisible chair by himself. Nothing but the howling wind to keep him company.

He shook his head and refocused on what was happening now.

The wyvern had approached a lot closer; its large bus sized face was quickly on a collision course towards him, its maw open whilst violet wisp swirled into the cavern like water rushing through a hole. He brushed all those thoughts aside, he had friends now, those that would stand by him no matter what, those that were experiencing the same pain and struggles of fighting to survive in this death game of a world.

He glared at the approaching monster, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration and his lips set into a determined line. He would not fail those who he could now call family. Those who for the first time cared for him, actually provided meals for him unlike some other people who tended more to their gardens than they did to their children. The twin blades in his hands glowed blue, trembling in his hands like lightning bolts in the hand of the heavens. He closed his eyes, letting his other senses stretch out, feeling the shifting winds that changed their movements to accommodate for the approaching boss. When he could feel the air changing, becoming more violent than their normal currents, when he could almost say he felt the killing intent of a beast so large and so vicious it seemed like darkness swallowed the sun, then he reacted.

He surged upwards and opened his eyes, dodging by a hair the onrushing head of the boss which suddenly unleashed a powerful blast from its maw. A swirling mass of violet hued power rushed forth into the sky as it missed the target. Arashi, on the other hand, _did not_!

He first swung down with his right blade, the blue light arcing like a flash of lightning as it easily sliced in the tip of the wyvern's elongated mouth. The action ballistically shot him forward as he spun, gaining kinetic force as he went along, the blade in his left hand coming down in another arc whilst the previous blade cleared its slice through the outer flesh of the monster. Arashi became a pinwheel of action and movement, spinning like a disc up along the monster's head and nape.

However towards the end of the neck Arashi stabbed both swords into its body, right between the twin stumps of where the wings met the giant body leaving what looked like toothpicks against the giant mass of the wyvern. His momentum brought him over the edge of the neck with his hands barely holding on to the embedded twin blades, he carried his momentum around as he used the contact point as a pivoting centre, slamming back feet first into the back of the beast. He ripped the blades out and immediately sliced the blade, one after the other; right then left then right then left. A repeating machine with one goal.

Do as much damage as possible!

He did not need to kill the boss, or even damage it significantly, he just had to draw its aggression; and draw its attention he did!

A sudden buck of its body flung Arashi off, sending him twirling in midair like a sitting duck for a few seconds from shock. The wyvern swerved, banking a hard right as it circled back to its prey, only to find the Storm General grinning. Pixelated light trails from the other players filtered into view, circling around him with each weapon glowing a different colour. Arashi had to admit that if anyone from the outside were to look at them it was like a rainbow had appeared. No doubt they looked like something out of a children's cartoon when the characters would scream about the power of friendship and suddenly everything would be a dazzling whirlpool of colours before they would softly beat their enemy and turn them into a friend.

That was _definitely_ not happening here!

This time when the boss rushed at him he dropped down instead of jumping up, sliding just enough so that when the wyverns agape maw rushed above him he spun like just before, except this time rushing in a line along the underbelly of the beast. He was like a saw that refused to stop its motion, slicing through the first layer of scales that covered its body as he flashed across its underbelly. The world was a mere blur for him as he travelled in a motion, at such speeds, that his eyes simply could not keep up with the movement. He flashed across with speeds that turned his blades into an ever continuing circle of blue light that whirled around him like an impenetrable shield made out of blades. The sudden loss of meat to engage with caused him to back flip in the air, twisting his body a circle around to stare at the retreating figure of the beast.

He saw the arcing sky blue lights of Ko that swerved, slashing and carving through the beast's skin like a butcher's knife through meat. He moved with the speed of a demon. Nothing but blur slashes of dissipating blue light that echoed where he once had been, the inner colourings of the boss visible, as his fellow air fighting buddy ripped apart the boss piece by piece.

Arashi grinned!

It was fun having someone else who loved taking to the air as he did. As a child he had always been interested in the dog fights of World War II and how planes worked, how they fought and how they manoeuvred. When he was trapped within this world and learnt that he could access wings that varied in shape and size, just like the wings of an aircraft, he had incorporated dogfight techniques into his style, especially whilst he was in the air.

The grin grew even wider as he dove back in, spiralling quickly to the left and then using his _Sword Skills_ to drag to the right again with incredible kinetic force, slashing into the neck of the beast; dark stormy blue slashing through the scales of the wyvern, shattering them and then cleaving through them by force, speed and accuracy.

A sudden jarring impact that actually caused the giant wyvern to be shoved over to the right rippled throughout the boss' lithe body. A splash of crimson light colouring against the blue skies and peach coloured stones behind them like paint from an artist hand.

Arashi had no doubt that on the other side of the monsters body was Kyojin with his giant broadsword slammed into the side of the body. He could see the giant of a man's thick hand gripping the edge of the body, fingertips easily seen as he pulled himself up. Arashi nearly laughed at the sight. The man looked as if he was possessed! Filled with the rage and anger of humankind as they, as the players, were stuck within this death game for the entertainment of one man. He unleashed an ear piercing roar that was quickly swept away and silenced by the rushing wind from the wyvern's quick movements. Kyojin unleashed a devastating double handed forearm attack that he first whirled over his head like helicopter blades, before bringing it down against the base of the wyvern's wings like the vengeance of mankind.

The Storm General back flipped off the wyvern, pushing himself so that he would fly parallel to the head for even a few seconds, and flung out both his blades, twisting his body in a full circle before doing so as to gain maximum kinetic force. Both blades punctured the outer flesh of the beast like hot knife through butter, stabbing into the side of its head whilst he tumbled backwards as the wyvern rushed ahead, twirling and tumbling down to the forest tops below. Arashi allowed himself to close his eyes briefly, feeling the weightlessness of being in mid air; the rushing winds that surrounded him with their wailings capturing his ears and letting him hear nothing else.

He was content for the few seconds, before his black eyes snapped open once more, and he raised both hands towards the form of the wyvern.

Immediately he activated [ _Blades Beckoning_ ], a white glow surrounding his blades as he suddenly jerked to a stop, before flying up towards the circling wyvern like as if a chain had suddenly caught him. It was reeling in, the world a mere blur around him as he sped towards the boss like a madman, twirling in midair to avoid one of its wings before it could knock him away and undoubtedly destroy his [ _Health_ ].

He jerkily met the body of the wyvern running, his feet trying to keep speed with how fast the invisible chains were pulling at him, and it seemed like nothing more than sheer dumb luck that he managed to stay upright the whole way.

Seeing his blades sticking out like toothpicks, Arashi jumped, hands outstretched as they slowly covered the blades before his momentum ripped them free and once again they were free spiralling away from the body. With the most agro still on him the wyvern was circling around, taking a hard banking turn that made its body look almost vertical, flat against the endless expanse of blue above them like a 2D drawing. Black standing out like night against the bright day.

A sudden hand grabbed one of his arms, spinning him a full 360 degrees whilst using both of their momentums to build further kinetic power. Shizu was there in her golden and grey armour, a calculative stare at the beast as she gripped his arm tightly. Her fingertips were digging into his arm.

It was rare that he ever got touched from anyone. Most people strayed away from physical affection with him and over time he had learn to grow with that, scorning the need that others had for loving hugs or kisses that had never been evident in his life before anyway. But regardless of that he let himself become loose, feeling his virtual muscles relaxing as the world whizzed around him, before the suddenly the hand was gone and he was flying. He could still feel the indents along his right arm though, no doubt leaving white marks where they had been pressed in that were slowly turning back to red as blood rushed to fill in the spots. He streamlined his body, allowing the air to curve around him as he approached the expanding figure of [ _Savraera_ ].

Flashes of storm blue arcs slashed deeply into the wyvern's side, or at least what seemed deeply for Arashi. His blades parallel to one another as he sliced through the skin like a spinning tornado of blades. As he continued on his path of speeding along he could see the appearing red blade of Kyojin's broadsword, the flat side, flying towards him in speeds that were unstoppable and with force capable of destroying trees.

It was a move that the group had come up with, Arashi twisted his body; bringing his feet to bear as he aimed for them to actually touch down onto the blade. He bent his knees slightly, feet together so that they would both land on the flat side of that giant hunk of metal. The thunderous clap of Kyojins swing and Arashi's feet meeting was like a baseball player hitting the ball into a home run. Just before the blade reached his feet Arashi had actually straightened his feet out, the connecting force sending him flying back towards the wyvern with speeds that topped even the last spin.

He slashed again as he passed by the confused wyvern, its giant head snapping as it tried to locate the current player with all of its agro. Purple wisp gathering in its mouth as it prepared for another shot, only to be once more interrupted by Kyojin ramming into the beast like a wrecking ball slamming into a building in attempts to demolish it.

Arashi watched with blurred vision as other trailing pixels of light signalled the attacking forces of the other Generals that was slowly eroding away at the wyvern's [ _Health_ ]. As his momentum carried him by Arashi reached out with his left hand, grasping on to the extended blue handle of Mizumi's scythe. The other General spun in circles as he gained momentum before his fingers released the spinning scythe. Arashi still holding on to the blade desperately as he spun alongside with it. In all honesty this move defied physics as it made no sense to how it could be working. Regardless Arashi let go of the flashing scythe and leapt off. His own blades flashing in an intricate pattern, almost like as if they were writing in the air in cursive.

As he zoomed by with neck breaking speeds, the air around him was filled with the lights of _Sword Skills_ as he utilized them to their maximum potential, flowery patterns carved into the skin of the wyvern underneath him.

If anyone was to look from the outside all they would see would be flashes of greyish blue, the stormy colours of a storm filled sky thrashing around a singular figure as he flashed by the beast in straight linear lines, gaining speed with each passing as he sundered the flesh beneath his flying form. It was like as if he had invisible chains linked to his waist that pulled him as he flew through the air like the very essence of wind.

Suddenly the wyvern unleashed a screech that sounded like thousands of nails scratching across a blackboard by a hideous excuse of a human. It plummeted from the sky like a plane that had just lost its wings, spiralling downwards in epic twirls that seemed like they were controlled, but in fact weren't. Arashi dove down, spinning himself to gain even more momentum as out of the corner of his eyes he could see the pixel trails of the other Generals following. But he was faster and soon they disappeared as he pulled ahead of the others, he calmly placed both of his blades upon his right shoulder, tensing his body before relaxing every muscle. Just as he was about to start his twirling motion that would cut through the body of [ _Savraera_ ] in a wheel of stormy blue light, the beast turned around. Its maw was wide open; strands of saliva connecting from its bottom jaw to its upper jaw, the lips were drawn back as a snarl rippled across its features. Purple wisp gathered quickly in its mouth, like water draining out from a cup, before it unleashed a breath blast in the form of a purple streaking bolt.

Arashi barrel rolled to the left, his body barely missing the blast that would have no doubt killed him in an instant, feeling the heat travel past him as it shot by in a blur of purple. But he only missed one attack to fly into the path of another. He saw the thick black tail that had come flying towards him, it seemed like the wyvern was intent of taking at least one of its problems out.

He could not dodge this, not even slide around it, it was too close, too sudden and too quick for him to do anything else but take it. He brought both of his blades down, barely sliding into an 'x' formation with his dual blades, each flat side facing the approaching tail. He could see the individual scales that made up its body armour, that gave its flesh the slimy and wet feeling, a sense of gliding and jelly underneath their touches. They sparkled underneath the sunlight like thousands of little breastplates sewn together by nature for the sole purpose of protection, they rippled like water as the muscles underneath the tail bunched and released to crush at least one of its attackers.

The force that connected with his blades jarred through his body like a shockwave. It blew him back with power like that of a freight train slamming into his body. He flew back in a blur, his blades shattering into blue lights as he flew through the air, his wings were firmly pressed against his back and no matter how hard he tried to unfurl them they would not come out; the wind pressure was simply too much. He could not make sense of the world around him, it had all merged into a single blur of blue and green with the wind whistling beside him as though it were a man taking a stroll down a street, and not a body flying through the air to its imminent death. Now in this position he should be afraid, and that thought did cross his mind. That attack would've taken down his life by a lot, barely not killing him due to the fact that he had blocked it with his blades and not with his body.

But then he shrugged and silently celebrated the fact that he was, in fact, still alive.

Now Arashi watched out of the corner of his eye as golden molten light surrounded him in what looked like a shield. The substance was liquid like as it wrapped itself in an orb around him as if there was an invisible skeletal structure to keep it off his skin. Warmth radiated forth from the golden substance, swirling around his cooled skin from all the action with the wind. It shut him off from the blue skies and green treetops, turning the world into a single mass of swirling golden light that protected him, shining and pulsing like as if he were in a star. He could not tell if they were moving or not, the golden sphere that surrounded him completely confused him as he wondered about movement. He could not feel, nor see, any wind rushing around him like greedy hands of a spoilt child. But as the shield dissipated, after he had quickly drunk a [ _Health Tonic_ ], he was greeted with a strange world. He was no doubt within one of the Temples.

But as he erupted forth, he stumbled back with various steps, his arms pinwheeling in an attempt to halt his ungracious fall. But fall he did with a soft thump that sounded like thunder in the empty eerie silence of where he had landed. His back was against the smooth cold stone behind him, whilst his behind was snuggled perfectly against the location of where floor met wall.

It was a dark place, little light filtering in as a single strong beam came forth from a newly formed hole in the wall. Blocks of stone littered the ground like dirt and dust that had collected along the pathways to great mysteries. Arashi looked around, eyes wide as he took in the long hallway that he was in, pillars perfectly aligned and parallel to one another in the dark, a high ceiling nearly invisible in the darkness. The Storm General looked around, taking stock of the situation around him and slowly began to draw conclusions to what had happened. Kirito had surrounded him with the golden shield, protecting him as he flew; no doubt the Executor allowed him to land here before returning to the fight to keep an eye on the Generals. But he couldn't have followed him as there was a need for the strongest player to remain, to protect the remaining Generals who fought on. With a sigh Arashi began to gather himself, readying to leave and take flight into the air once more, to rejoin the battle that waged like the very forces of nature themselves. But as he laid there his mind began to suddenly wander, packing up bags and wandering away on a journey to God knows where.

The first memory that his mind raised out from the locked gates of his psyche was when he first met Kirito. He chuckled sadly a little at that memory and what had happened, feelings of incredible sadness ticking away through his body like that of soreness. The rising constriction in his throat grabbing his attention.

 _The first time he and Kirito had met was actually during the battle against the [Seiyari]. He had been one of the Generals picked out in the original battle group. However during the first battle a [Seaware] soldier had overwhelmed Arashi, not due to their skill, but because he had tried to protect a comrade, a friend. It had turned out pointless anyway considering the fact that a spear had been driven through the friends head, instantly killing him past the [Final Stand] and shattering his body into a thousand pieces of light. The General had then slipped on a wet patch of the ground, mud torn up from the various feet that had penetrated the surface of the earth as human wage a battle against computers. But just before the spear descended like death from above, the warrior had frozen. It's eyes wide, the body frozen stiff like a statue before its upper body above its waist slid off like soap off a wet surface._

 _The shattering white light shocking him into action as he saw Kirito dance away with his blade flashing in a thirst for battle. Later on when the Army of Seido had finally be finalized and created Kirito had given a speech to his Generals and simply stated that whilst together, they would protect and keep one another safe. That when anyone of them was in danger, Kirito would do his best to save them. He had promised life that went beyond this death game._

 _Immediately after that meeting Arashi had gritted down his teeth, trying to tamper down his emotions with an iron fist, trying to stay strong. He visualized a giant iron hammer that descended upon a personification of his pain, smashing it against a solid anvil, but it was of no use!_

He let out a soft laugh at that memory, remembering very vividly at how he had tried so hard to pull himself away from the pit of depression. How hard he had tried to find strength and resolution as to not be a bother upon the shoulders of anyone, least of all Kirito. But then his mind whited out and memories began to surge through like a tidal wave as he sat there, relaxing slightly in the circle of light that pooled in from the hole in the Temple wall. It kept the darkness at bay and thus would probably keep whatever was hidden in it for bay for a little while longer.

 _It had been like a corruption that surged through his mind, refusing to be stopped; and so for a split second he had indeed remembered! He remembered what it felt like to be alone, the feeling of coldness that traced the outline of his heart, teasing it with its pain. The sense of weight that suddenly forced one's shoulder down and that crushed one's chest, a sense of desperation for even the slightest warmth of a human's touch that would counteract the chill spreading throughout his body._

 _As a child he never had many friends._

 _He had always been the oddball that no one wanted to talk to or get to know. He had always found the presence of virtual reality much more comforting and understanding than any friend. Spending time around humans was ... tiring, to say the least and frustrating at most. From where pain once stood, he found relief in the shelter of games, and so game he did._

 _But the more he retreated from the physical world, the more the physical society shunned him, and thus began a vicious cycle that down spiralled far past normality. He hated social gatherings, hated the mask that people placed up in front of their faces, hated how they always seemed to say one thing but in reality mean another. How their words were hollow, empty and meaningless, how they might ask 'how is your day' but in truth couldn't care less if your loved ones had all died in the most painful and terrifying way possible. It was a world where the young could not really talk to the old, unless of course you were a special, popular one that everyone doted on. Then it was okay!_

 _He hated it!_

 _Whilst gliding through the endless expanse of the internet Arashi had met a variety of people, not all good or nice; but it was more refreshing to spend time around a society that could care less about how you looked, but rather judged you off how you acted. It was your skill with your game, your fingers and your eyes. The slight nudges and continuation of the smallest motions that allowed a player to check the various blinking, and otherwise disconcerting, User Interfaces. Here was a world where one was judged by their own merits, their knowledge and wisdom and where people of all ages grouped together and forgot about their mask, simply playing and living. Of course you had the few who were idiots, raging and flaming and scolding everyone, but then again you met some of the nicest people who could understand you, know you, care for you, in more ways than one. Having someone run a [Dungeon] just to help him get something had been one of the most touching moments in Arashi's life._

His mind reeled back into reality as easily as a fishing rod reeled in its catch within the hands of a professional fisher. But as it did so, as he began to realize where he was and the cool sensation that crept through his clothing of stone pressing up against him, as his senses began to analyze the situation that he was in, he remembered simply that one line which Kirito had spoken to the Generals alongside his promise to protect them with his own life.

" _Never back down. Never give up. We are gamers and we will clear this Death Game! Clear it for those who were murdered! Clear it for those who have yet to receive hope! BE THAT HOPE!"_

He had roared that in their faces, his voice seemingly young and naive. But yet it carried such resolution that shot warmth and fire through Arashi's gut.

He was right! Damnit. If anyone could clear this game it was them.

With that Arashi glared, his resolution to fight and win. To set free those who could not do it themselves. To rise above the circumstances, stand tall and firm, and be a pillar of strength for others. He would rise like the morning sun and descend with the power and vengeance of a comet from space. He would crush all that opposed their victory and return to their homes. He would reunite families, strengthen friendships and raise a group that would crush this pained existence.

They would win!

With that he stood up, muscles protesting from the time they had already cooled down, his wings blazed to life as he readied himself to shoot out of the Temple walls. However a glimmer in the distance of the hallway caught his attention, it flickered with a strange green and white pulsing light that slowly drew him to it. His curious little mind forgetting about the battle, even though he felt a tug to go to it; they could survive for a little while whilst he satisfied his curiosity.

He hoped.

After all they had Kirito and Argo who could step in if needed. The two over levelled and over powered players had been waiting for the agro to build up against Arashi first before entering, after all one hit from them would most likely out damage all the accumulated hits from Kirito or Argo, meaning they had to carefully dish out damage to not draw agro in order for them to do the most damage.

 **LINE BREAK**

Strange symbols decorated the walls of the long forgotten and abandoned halls, leaving them to the wisp of time and the will of none. They told a story, one that spanned the swirling columns and the walls, even underneath him with deep carvings into the stone under him. It was like as if someone had taken this entire historical temple and turned it into a book.

It started like this.

 _It was a war that happened long ago in the past. One which were lost in the annals of time, swept away by the neglect of beings who lived in the after generations of the savage brutality. A race as old as the very primal forces of nature, stronger than any other civilization that rose, gods to other beings and the watchmen of creation._

 _They were a race that was satisfied to hide within the confines of the forest, satisfied with living simplistic lives with powers that outstripped even the immortal divine beings. They did not oppose the enlarging of any nation, only ever defending themselves within their forest and turning away any that might come near it. Many tried to enter in, breaking through the powers they wielded to make alliances or to enslave or to learn from; but all were turned away. Perhaps it was this strong hold to tradition that was their downfall for when their time of reckoning finally came, they had no one to turn to for support._

 _They called themselves the Esin. They stood over five meters in height, built from lean muscle that was perfectly defined like as if they were sculptures out of marble and carved from The Author's hand. With smooth and flawless skin they had none of the defining features that other creatures knew, and had, to distinguish between male and female. This silk like skin looked as green as the forest, often changing colour to match their emotions as well as the wellbeing and state of the world around them. Their eyes glowed like the sun, filled with power to call strength down that could rival even the strongest of the immortals with nothing but a flick of their hand. Their fingertips ended in sharp claws, each harder and sharper than any metal weapon forged by the hands of other sentient beings. Sharp angled ears hung off from the side of their heads, reaching to the back of their skulls, heads elongated with an extended cranium that curved behind. They had no mouths and spoke only through the connections of their minds, the slight sharper and more angular features upon their face signalling a female, not a speck of hair upon their head, whilst the sturdier and bulkier like features defined a male Esin. When they walked the plane of the world many thought of them as emotionless watchers, where in truth they had so much emotion that could only be shared through a telepathic bond that it resulted in them simply turning away from others and folding in upon themselves._

 _It was long before the rise of any of the old four nations; it was the first time that what hid in the Nothingness breached through the thin walls of realities and reached out its hand into it. Millenias before any other touch and corruption of the void was a time where older versions of Divine Immortals walked the plane of existence. They transversed various dimensions, having easy access and walking through the walls like they were made of wisp, desecrating what the Esin believed sacred and something to not be touched, something The Author had spoken to them never to do. But the foolish divine beings would not listen and over time, they corroded the walls. It had happened one day without warning, one day that went from peace into bloodshed. One where what was once thought as invincible was then rendered as mortal._

 _Forth from a tear in the walls of realities came beast from the void. The Divine Immortals nearly fell within a day, the twisted creatures of flesh, scale, teeth, fur and bone rushed through the golden roads of the gods, sundering them to pieces. Their worshippers wiped off existence in a tide of death that personified itself as black eyes with grotesque bodies. After a day the gods finally retaliated with the help of the surviving followers. Within a day a quarter of the world had been swallowed in death with nothing but blood, body parts and the whispering screams of the damned. The earth turned corrupted underneath their heel, black veins spreading across the surface like an infection that would plague their world for eternity. The surviving nations rallied under the authority of the divine immortals, their shining figures burning bright against the world as they rushed forward. An army named 'The Army of Light', such a stereotypical and clichéd name._

 _The Esin, however, did not participate until it was too late. The self acclaimed 'Army of Light' fell before the advancing horde of flesh, teeth, blood and bone, their lithe figures darting between army lines and sundering their prey. It was not a battle. It was a massacre! It was feeding time for the warped creatures of the void. When the battle was over nothing was left but pools of blood, half torn bodies with their ribs splayed open like that of cattle after slaughter, the golden ichor of the old gods splayed across the land in a stark contrast to the reddish brown colour of mortal blood; but then again were now not both mortal?_

 _The ancient race of the Esin watched on from their forest as the last two self proclaimed gods were surrounded, the trembling bodies of their followers hunched down underneath them as tears ran down their faces like streams that cleared the dirt and grime off. They were surrounded by a black sea of shrilling screams and snarls that echoed forth like the voices of the damned that screamed at them to join in death. It was the snarling which revealed teeth upon teeth that dripped and slobbered with saliva. Long whipping tongues lashing the air in front of them._

 _A sudden lunge forward by a single corrupted creature resulted in everything rushing forward. The mortal followers were overwhelmed in seconds, their screams dying off as blood spewed into the air like fountains, separating before falling back down in a fine rain. The Esin finally intervened before the last two surviving divine beings could be slaughtered like livestock. With a whole group of the powered ancient beings, mere thoughts were enough to send blazing walls of fire as tall as the sky was high as it swirled against the black horde like light from the sun searing through the darkness of night. But this intervention initiated their downfall, accelerating it to speeds that even they could hardly keep up with._

 _Within days the corrupted creatures turned upon the last surviving race of the Esin. Their numbers telling tale as they begun to overwhelm the godlike creatures. In a last ditch attempt to stop their ever advancing horde that spewed black vileness across their trees, that stalked their forest and land as if they owned it; to prevent the world from falling into complete darkness; they raised an army for the first time since creation. They marched out of the safety of their forest, driving wave after wave of creatures back with powerful sweeps of their outstretched hands and even mere thoughts that echoed with the words of creation. Before their midst the twisted and sickening sight of hordes from the void simply vanished like snow in the summer time._

 _The thundering sound of their footsteps echoed throughout creation, the surviving animals and nature trembling like fearful children as the wrath of the primordial ones. They searched through the lowest valleys, climbed the highest mountains, laid low the natural earthen fortresses and slaughtered all who came in their path. Their glowing eyes shining like stars in the night as they searched without sleep, travelling far and wide in an attempt to find the giant rip in the realities. Their five meter tall bodies made them stick out like giants amongst the lower trees, long limbs grasping at the wooden giants like they were mere twigs. They found the source of corruption deep within the mountains, sensing it far beneath the earth. Rage filtered across their normally calmed features as they gestured with their hands, ripping up the very ground underneath them as they dug for the corruption._

 _It had looked like a black orb, completely surrounded by oily darkness that seemed to suck out the very light from the surrounding atmosphere. Strands of stretched black substance caused it to simply hang in midair, suspended as evil hangs in the air. A single yellow slash crept in the middle of it, making it almost look more like a demonic eye that judged every movement; the way it swerved to look at them was definitely eye like. They destroyed it, in the process losing more than half their invading forces as the Nothingness surged forward in a wave that consumed everything it touched, leaving desolated bodies that rotted slowly with spreading black veins visible like ink tattoos. Upon their return to their home the Esin took the remaining people and burrowed deep into the earth, deciding to slumber and rest until The Author awoke them once more._

At least that is what Arashi learned as he walked slowly towards a soft green pulse that beat like a heart against the dark shadows that loomed around it like a blanket. Inscriptions along the walls, the floors and the pillars, each swirl carved deeply into the stone as picture after picture, symbol after symbol, spoke of the great tales of the Esin. Many of the words were written in an ancient text, one that Arashi had seen in passing and could relatively understand what they meant as his hands traced the deep wide grooves upon the stone walls.

Alternatively they could very well mean that the original owners of this place liked to walk dogs for all he knew. It was after all just an educated guess and his imagination running off some steam that burned through his mind at the use of excess brain power.

The Storm General looked around with an open mouth, slowly taking in the detail of every image and written word, soaking them in despite the fact that he could not really read them at all. He stopped walking, last step, as he entered a small cubed room. It was softly filled with light touches of green hue as it reached out into the darkness, swirling and writhing against the ever present lack of light as it fluttered against an invisible barrier. However what really drew his attention was not the further telling of legend and history carved upon the walls, the floors and the ceiling. It was not the intricately woven words of an ancient language into solid stone that caught him, but rather the glowing and pulsating large green crystal that softly glowed like a dimmed heart that went through too much pain. A battered looking katana laid on the ground before it as if this was a ceremonially sacred place.

Arashi slowly walked forward, padded footsteps echoing like thunder in the confined space as the room roared its rage back in the echo for the intrusion of history. He glanced wildly at the crystal structure before him, various sharp points angled out from a hidden source, green light swimming inside like a creature within water, playfully; almost as if it was a child hidden in joy. With each step that he took Arashi noticed how the resulting pulse afterwards would get stronger, by the time he was only two meters away from it, halfway, the pulses emanating forth from the crystal were strong enough to be felt as a physical wind that tried to push him back. Each step was like as if he was pushing through air made out of jello, each step becoming smaller and smaller as he approached the huge crystalline structure.

When he stopped he was standing right before a smooth flat surface of the crystal, it loomed high into the air, towering over him like Kyojin did with the slightest warmth emanating forth from the green like gems. He slowly reached out with his right hand, artificial muscles and tendons working together in perfect harmony as he pushed his arm outward, slowly and carefully resting his palm upon the crystal. The surface was smooth like silk, but yet harder than steel and pulsed warmly underneath his hand. It was strange, feeling the slight rise and fall of the crystal, as if it were a live being when in normalcy it should have been cold, dull, lifeless and definitely not moving like waves of the sea. Then in an act of curiosity Arashi pressed his hand in, wanting to see if it was really solid and firm, only to find that as he exerted pressure the crystals parted before his hands like water parted before the hand of God. The green crystals retracted upon themselves, quickly forming an open road to whatever laid within, the General's eyes had now widened with shock and awe, whilst euphoria surged through his body and excitement consumed his mind; what was within?

Then before his eyes a translucent square box appeared, a [ _Quest_ ] box, it confused him, and reading it did no good as it revealed absolutely no information whatsoever.

[ _ **Quest:**_ _The Wind Princess_ ]

[ _Do you accept?_ ]

[ **YES** ] [ **NO** ]

Dismissing it as unimportant within his mind, Arashi merely pressed yes with his left hand before focusing on the crystal before him once more. He pressed harder and with more force as a strange resistance started to push back against his arm. Gathering energy within his right palm, the Storm General visualized what he wanted to happen. A single lunge skill. Immediately his palm started to shine blue, swirling colours clashing as blue met green before his hand jerked forward with such force and power that it completely broke through whatever was pushing back. However instead of simply feeling the cold grasp of a weapon, which was what he had expected for a legendary weapon to be hidden within, he felt something soft like velvet, smooth like silk and warm like the burning ember coals of life. He cocked his head to the right, eyebrows furrowed as confusion permutated his mind as to what in the world was he feeling.

Then something strange occurred, it happened slowly at first as individual pieces of the outer layer of the crystalline structure detached and began to float away.

Then more and more, each piece that broke off simply hovered in mid air, slowly starting to spin in an orbit around the crystal, each piece that broke sending jarring waves of energy that vibrated throughout the structure.

Arashi jumped back, quickly equipping two new blades that appeared in a swirl of white and stormy blue lights, twisting like leaves that had been caught in the winds of a tornado. He shifted lower slightly, bringing his centre of gravity to lower as he readied himself, weight upon the balls of his feet that were pressed tightly against the floor in a readying stance to suddenly change direction if he needed to.

The air was filled with tense anticipation as more and more pieces started to break off. Soon all that could actually be seen was the spinning flashes of green that circled the crystal structure like a wall of wind currents that refused entry for anything else, even sight. Each individual piece glowed with the light of what seemed like _Sword Skills_ , pulsating ribbons of green arching colour thrashing out behind each piece like tails of some great flying beast. But almost as quickly as it begun, it ended. The sound of thousand of crashing pieces of crystal as they shattered against the carved stone floor was deafening, like the sound of a jet taking off right next to your ear. Arashi crouched low, with his eyes screwed shut and hands covering his ears; that sound reminded him of teachers in his childhood. Having grown up within an Asian country it was no surprise to anyone that the teachers were vicious beings.

Many times when caught even doing the slightest thing wrong he remembered the screeches of their voice, the resounding pain that would follow as they used whatever they could get their hands on for a punishment. Berating and demeaning who and what he was with both words and actions.

He remembered the pain that would follow. Cold. Hollow. Piercing.

It would strike at the centre of his chest like a cold icy blade, tearing through skin, flesh, bone, and blood right to the core of his being that would make him cry out when it was night. He remembered the haunt looks of students around him; their eyes empty of anything but delight and glee at the anger and wrath of a teacher being directed away from them, smirks curving along their lips at the humiliation of someone else, and not them. Yet as quickly as those memories and thoughts surfaced within his mind, just as quickly Arashi squashed them with an imaginary hammer, refusing to allow them to come back up and suppressing them deep within himself as he looked up once more. His eyes scanning the fallen light green shards of crystal debris all around him, that is until he laid eyes on what had been within the crystal.

Lying in the middle of a pile of broken crystals, which seemed to somehow not be ripping into the soft unblemished skin of the sudden beings appearance, was a small cute looking young girl. Long luscious silky black hair pooled out around her, spreading out like the branches of a tall healthy tree as it covered the sky. Her thin body lay curled in a fetus position, knees tucked against her chest with thin arms circling around it like as if she were hugging a pillow. A long white one-piece dress hugged her frame and ended right at her ankles, her baby like face absolutely adorable as she slept on top of a pile of crystals.

Arashi blinked, his head cocking to the left as he saw her hair softly part around her ears and his eyes widened even further. They were angular and pointed with each tip sharp like the end of a knife. He looked at the info box that had appeared above her head and felt his breath hitch, catching at the base of his throat as he suddenly dared not even move closer.

[ _Yui, Princess of the Davuchuo Esin_ ]

He watched as the air suddenly stilled, it wasn't a physical difference considering that they were within a temple that had stale air of dead ancient history, but it was like nature itself held bated breath at the awakening of an Esin. There was no sudden power surge, no force that threw him around like a rag doll, nor any bright flash of light that signalled to the world that an Esin had finally awoken when her eyes fluttered open. They were the darkest of black, it seemed like nothing could escape those eyes if they wished to draw you in, the girl; the NPC, Yui, yawned as she slowly sat up. Hands bunched into fist as she rubbed her eyes, stretching her back in an arch like a sleepy cat as she turned and looked at Arashi with her head cocked to one side, innocence screaming out at every action that she took.

"Who are you?"

The question was simple really, a generic question that anyone would ask anyone upon first contact. His eyes took in the details of the little girl who was now standing, or rather more, hovering above the crystals like as if it was merely nothing. As if hovering was the norm and not standing after one awakes from slumber. The way her hair softly floated as she hovered, the way her fingers were splayed against her dress as well as how she softly leaned forward in a querying look that sparkled in her eyes. It shined forth, dancing across her iris, as she looked in with questions flourishing like stars.

"My name is Arashi, General of the Army of Seido." he stated, sheathing his weapons in a single smooth motion over both his shoulders of many hours practicing that single smooth motion.

The NPC grinned, showing off her cute smile that beamed with joy and laughter, it seemed to visibly lighten up the room as she blinked at him.

"Ooh." she replied as if she knew what was going on, her voice was smooth like honey, washing over him and warming him in the depths of his bones like the soft smoking coals of embers that had just gone out, "Where am I?"

"You're inside an ancient temple." Arashi said slowly and calmly, hoping to keep the situation calm and collected, "I found you trapped in that crystal." his open right hand gestured towards the strewn crystals across the floor, discarded and forgotten like the toys of children, "What were you doing there?"

She glanced to the floor, head cocked to one side, entirely ignoring the question that the General had ended on, as she gestured with her right hand as if she was inviting someone into the room. Immediately the shards floated up till they were in front of her, a mass of humming and glowing green crystals that levitated in their place held only by Yui's willpower. Her eyes glanced down to the broken katana at her feet, one that was now broken in half, before she glanced back at the mass of crystals around her. With another gesture of her hand the crystals began to start linking together. Fitting together like pieces of a puzzle as they were built towards something which Arashi had no idea about. Her eyes glinted in concentration as those black orbs flickered along the current combination of different shaped crystals. Suddenly Arashi noted that she nodded her head before leaning back and waving her hand, and within seconds she held a katana in her hands.

"Here you go." she said with a pleasant innocent smile, handing over the weapon to him with a mere gesture, sending it floating towards the stunned General.

It was a beautiful piece of work. The hilt was crafted from thin smooth sheets of the green crystal in an interwoven pattern that seemed to have bent the crystal from something harder than steel to something as malleable as string. There was a slight bulge in the middle of the hilt whilst a single line of neon green could be seen trapped within. It swirled, clashing against the crystals like the very force of nature as it tried to be released. From the hilt, without any guard, came a blade forged from the same green crystals that had once made up Yui's prison and now his handle. It was at least sixty-five centimetres in length and as his hand met the grip he felt a rush of power surge through him, which was also notably followed by a surge of crystals that suddenly rushed at him. He let out a yelp, jumping back with eyes wide before shutting them as the warm crystals suddenly bombarded him and clung to him like the hands of an adulterous women. Like previously when the Guards had gifted them with the single colour, another flurry of colours entirely covered his world. He could feel the warm crystals moulding themselves against his cheeks, settling around his head like a crown whilst flowing up and down his body like set pieces of an armour set.

When the glaring green lights subsided Arashi felt different, heavier, as he could now feel additional clothing upon his body, the warm feeling of embedded crystals rested against his cheeks. He glanced over to Yui who simply gestured with her hand, turning the air in front of her into water and letting him see his own reflection, which caused him to stiffen in awe.

Arashi was now dressed like a real warrior. Around his shoulders was an armoured jacket that ended around his knees with sleeves that ended in the middle of his upper arm. There were streaks sliced parallel on either side across his shoulders, beautifully complementing the jacket which was adorned around him. A thin layer of shards had melded together, forming a protection that covered his arms whilst around his forearm and hands were additional layers of crystals that created gauntlets which undoubtedly could stop blows from weapons.

In the middle of the back of either forearm was a single larger green crystal that stood out from the otherwise sleek armour like the bulge of a mountain. From the centre parted jacket he could see a skin tight layer of crystals that hugged his body perfectly, parallel patterns adorned on either side of his body in perfect symmetry as if she had crafted one side first, copied it and then simply flipped it around. The long jacket hid his legs and with a slight shift he revealed them. Once more they were covered in a perfectly thin layer of crystals that ended within the protection of crystallized boots that flowed all the way up to his knees. Larger crystals adorned at every joint of his body. Once more in front of him hovered another weapon was there, this was not a katana, it was a xiphos. The curved leaf-shaped blade was crafted forth from multitudes of smaller crystals connecting together through a bond beyond understanding of real life physics and laws.

"[ _Fujin_ , _Katana of the Great Typhoon_ ] and [ _Asocorpio, Lightning Xiphos of The Author_ ]." she said calmly as he turned them over in his hands. In a flash as quick as lightning everything went from a tree grass green into a stormy grey blue colour, one that resembled the way the clouds and the sky would tell tale of an incoming storm just before it struck, "Weapons that have a direction connection to the affiliation of wind and lightning. Perfect for one whose names means storm wouldn't you agree?"

Once more she was leaning forward, all the previous pieces of crystals gone as the water in front of her then dissipated, simply vanishing into thin air; although he did notice that the humidity levels suddenly rose. She had a cute little innocent grin spreading across her face like a lovely blossoming of a flower that swayed gently in the wind. It reminded him of those beautiful falling flowers in the spring.

"Thank you." Arashi said, bowing at his waist as he sheathed both weapons in quick smooth motions over his shoulders, "But what are they for?"

"You rescued me from that stasis." Yui said simply with a calm and warm cheeky grin on her face, "And you seem relatively interesting ... from what I saw from your memories anyway. So these are a token of my gratitude. Although I have also placed my essence into [ _Fujin_ ] meaning I'll be following you from now on. Please take care of me Onii-chan." the cute floating girl replied with a bow at the waist before simply fading into a green stream that swirled like a snake's body, before suddenly vanishing in a blur past Arashi's right shoulder.

The General could then suddenly feel the presence of another mind within his own, it hovered at the edge but never really touched his, shrugging it off Arashi turned and walked out of the room. But as he walked Arashi realized that his footsteps were not making any sound, looking down he jumped in shock as his eyes widened.

"Woah." was all he could say. He was standing on what seemed like thin air, yet when he applied pressure upon his feet he could feel a substance that pushed back against him. It was like walking on normal ground. Arashi grinned, a wide toothy one, as he let out a ' _whooop!_ ' into the air, excitement rushing through him as he suddenly ran forward, not once did he touch the ground. He sprinted through the darkened hallways as the carved stones around him turned off into nothing but a blur that surrounded his world. But when he saw the great big shaft of light that pierced through the building and into the darkness he paused for a little while, savouring the feeling of having new power flooding through his system. He crouched down and for the first time since he gained his new outfit, touched the ground. He could feel his artificial muscles in his thighs bunching up, the tendons strengthening in his calves, before he then jumped up and allowed his new wings to blaze into beautiful reality.

However they were no longer really wings. Instead from out of his back six large crystals, each about the size of his head appeared. They hovered in a very specific pattern that was symmetrically parallel to one another on either side of him, like as if an OCD perfectionist had arranged them. Two about 45 degrees behind his head, almost acting like twin sentries that stood on alert for their king, on either side of his head. The next two were a little more further out on the horizontal axis, each hovering at his rib area. The last two were seen keeping their place beside his hips, besides the sheathed blades that he held at his waist. Immediately, as soon as they appeared, he disappeared in nothing but the slightest of breeze, flashing across the sky in a blur as he returned to join his comrades in the battle.

The wyvern had lost a lot of its life whilst he was gone, the team easily taking them down. Around the fallen temple Arashi could see the flashes of gold that dictated the movements of the Guards. Their life force being used in battle as they pushed back horde after horde of flying snake worm things.

He couldn't be bothered to adequately view them as he flew forward. However the first thing he noticed was that [ _Savraera_ ] grounded, both of its wings had been lobbed off by no doubt Kyojin and his vicious brute strength. The Storm General, who now actually personified the storms, grinned in anticipation for the battle. He could feel the cool winds rushing against him, flowing around him and leaving him in a bubble that seemed to travel faster due to this strange effect. The feeling of weightlessness that left his stomach somewhere behind when he had first lifted off, he quickly unsheathed his blades and suddenly, out of some random instinct, lashed out with [ _Fujin_ ] before he was even anywhere close to the wyvern.

His eyes widened, and he actually stopped, with his mouth agape as with that single slash a distortion had carried through the air before slamming into [ _Savraera_ ] with enough force that it blew the wyvern backwards, slamming it against the wall. The other Generals turned to look at him with wide eyes, the sparkling glint in the depths of their corneas promising an interrogation later on.

Ignoring them as they turned back to fight, Arashi started to slice in mid air, sending out wave after wave of distorted wind that slammed into the beast again and again, crushing it deeper into the stone without even a chance of it rising up once more. He watched his blade as he delivered another horizontal backhand slash, emerald light shining brightly as he spun a full circle before flicking his wrist at the end. His eyes followed the surge of piercing green as it flew forth from the blade, being released from the tip like as if the blade was some sort of conductor, before it distorted the air with the slightest tinge of green hue.

Then as if a giant hand was controlling his actions instead of himself, Arashi did a stabbing motion forward with [ _Asocorpia_ ] and once more his eyes widened and jaw dropped in awe, the muscles at the corner of his eyes pulling back slightly, his mind struggling to understand what was going on. The xiphos glowed bright green, a pure jade colour before arcs of what looked like lightning danced along its edge, slowly making its way to the tip. It gathered there, pooling into a singular small orb of purple, white and blue. It was strange, his entire outfit consisted of the stormy blue grey colours of, well a storm, but his blades operated on an entirely different spectrum. Regardless he watched as purple bolts of lightning suddenly struck out forth from the small orb that had gathered, it ripped across the air like the vengeful anger of a god as thunder boomed out in its wake. It was jagged, creating a split flashing image of reality rips in the air, before the dancing edges crashed into [ _Savraera_ ]. It crackled against the hardened scales of the wyvern, as it screeched out in pain with a voice that carried far and wide, disturbing, and warning, many of the denizens of the [ _Silent Forest_ ].

A snarl followed the screech before a blast of purple lights flew towards Arashi, the wyvern's anger kindled and raising its head like an awoken lion. It released a roar that split the sky, shaking the very temple that it was on as it appeared to the group once more. Those few attacks had dropped the beast [ _Health_ ] down into its last two circles, making it activate the strange last buff bosses have before they died. Its entire body had easily doubled in size with streaked lines of purple energy circling and swirling around its body. The scales that had previously laid flat against its skin now were raised like thousands of spikes ready to impale whatever it was that had wounded it so. The wings were still stumped however, making it snap its neck skywards but not actually being able raise itself off the ground. It released a hot circle of purple fire around itself, forcing everyone else to jump backwards, before releasing another blast into the sky against where Arashi stood, then another and another and another. All of this happened within a split second as purple orbs that blazed like fire flew towards the standing General.

Kirito was off to the side with crossed arms, an interested look developing under his mask as he wondered what would happen to Arashi at the face of such danger. The answer revealed itself in the form of a wind wall. The General had slashed [ _Fujin_ ] with the tip facing downwards in a horizontal line, from it came a roaring wall of air that, upon contact with the flaming purple swirling fireballs, seemed to completely shred any projectile that came in contact with it. The air from the wall seemed to completely crush the incoming attacks, taking them and then dissipating them within the matter of seconds.

A grin split Arashi's face as he could feel the artificial muscles pulling at his cheeks as he grinned at the sight of what had just happened. It was beautiful. He laughed before twirling down, both blades flashing as he went into his signature move against larger creatures. The pinwheel arch of motion descended from the sky like a bolt of lightning as the fighting resumed again.

" _Never back down. Never give up. We are gamers and we will clear this Death Game! Clear it for those who were murdered! Clear it for those who have yet to receive hope! BE THAT HOPE!"_


	15. Chapter 15 - The Dragon and Two Smiles

**AN: Once more thank's to** _ **Greghero**_ **for beta-reading this story. He once again pointed out faults in this latest chapter and thanks to that things were quickly changed :) Please check out his** _ **The Revenge of the King of Darkness**_ **. It is honestly a very interesting read that takes a completely new perspective on the SAO world, one that I must say is very very intriguing. Also next chapter that is going to be uploaded in the future will be a fluff between Argo and Kirito ;) enjoy this current one!**

 **Chapter 15 - The Dragon and Two Smiles**

"[ _Parties_ ] _consist of a maximum of 10 players. In charge is a_ [ _Party Leader_ ] _who is responsible for calling shots, responding to_ [ _Quest_ ] _dialogues, acceptance and loot distribution. These groups are normally used when entering_ [ _Dungeons_ ] or [ _Hell Zones_ ] _or fighting against_ [ _Events_ ] _and_ [ _Bosses_ ] _and require great amount of skill to properly and adequately pull off. Whilst in a_ [ _Party_ ] _player stats are increased slightly, depending on the_ [ _Party_ _Title_ ], _as well as additional benefits, which depended on the_ [ _Party Rank_ ]." ~ Seven Kingdoms Online: Party

The sky was slightly cloudy casting a gloomy grey across the sky like a blanket of depression that weighed heavily upon the shoulders of all under the heavens.

Slight curves of dulled down white plastered the sky like dots on a Dalmatian, scattered across the twisting froes of the clouds like helpless children caught in the never ending drag of the sea. Light barely pierced through the heavy and dense clouds that covered, leaving the world at the mercy of the darkened sky and dulling everything; leaving the world in a grey that made late morning seem like dawn.

For most, waking up to a sight such as this would be relatively … depressing. It would normally leave the feeling of gloominess leaching through the body of an individual. A certainly most crushing view of the world to awaken to, one that made you question whether or not you truly wanted to be alive or if you simply hated the world and wish that everyone would just die and disappear into an endless abyss.

Then again it could also be a trigger to certain memories rushing down the neural pathways of the mind like F1 racing cars speeding as they swerved and turned at incredibly high speeds. Flashing in pulses of imagination that churned the mind like currents churned an ocean floor, contaminating the water with brown clogged dirt and turning crystal clarity, into confusing murky depths.

Purple hair was softly blown in the wind, fluttering like the wings of a beautiful butterfly, soft and slow as the breeze caressed the luscious violet curtain like hair; like a lover gently running their fingertips through her silky hair.

Obsidian black half-armour settling nicely onto the blue turtle-neck that hugged her body, cotton pressed against skin with the slight itch of the strings. A black purple skirt hung from her waist till her knees, skin tight shorts conjoined underneath with their silky feeling pressed against her thighs. Black stockings reaching up, past her skirt, disappearing into it as well as similarly disappearing into black boots. They were pressed loosely against the stone under her feet. The form of an individual female sitting upon a wooden bench with her elbows against her knees and palms against her cheeks. A slight pout formed from her lips, standing out from her face like a beautiful sore thumb.

Crimson eyes raised themselves with the slight tilt of her purple tinged pale neck and stared in a clash against the grey darkened skies, a silent contest of will between woman and the primordial essence of the lower heavens.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, luke warm air fluttering out from her pale pink red lips.

She glanced down to her feet, the black boots standing out against the grey stone under feet. She felt a strange swirling in her chest, discomfort snatching away at her breaths, and with each grasp plucking anxiety and restlessness into her.

Her eyes flickered over to the [ _Battle Training Ground_ ] of the [ _Academy_ ], easily visible from the higher ground of the [ _General's Sanctuary_ ] with its plain grounds and various different terrains. The current training area was settled into a plain grassland with a slight bulge of the hill, sparkling trails of players clashed like lights from a firework show. She disengaged from looking over there once more, turning back to face the floor again. With that Yuuki let her mind wander like a nomad searching for a home in her memories. But one thought kept coming back.

She didn't miss reality.

No matter how much she tried, she could not find neither a yearning nor a drive to return home like the other millions of players within this world who were trapped, just like her. But in this trap she found life, whereas others found death. Where most found a nightmare, Yuuki found an escape from the cruel reality that waited for her beyond this world of complex coding and structure. Where most found this to be a curse and torture from what they thought would be leisure and relaxing moments, she found excitement and thrill in the fight; it was if she was the only person left who still thought of this world as a game, and not a death trap waiting to be sprung over each and every individual, killing them in a swirl of pixels.

Most players had a drive, a yearn, to complete this game and return home to reality, to their families, to their friends and loved ones, to normal life, to high school, university, their careers; some had the drive to return for a special somebody who was waiting for them, some were trying to return for their children. Their kids.

She did not have any of that.

When most people thought of home they would normally think of comfort, care, warmth, love, safety, peace, a well known bed, a fridge that was always being opened, a TV and sofas where one could relax. One would think of where you could store a bike, a birthday gift in the form of a car, books stored high in shelves on a variety of subjects, a study table with a lamp and a computer to finish off school work.

She never had that. Ever.

To have the drive for returning to family, to see the faces of laughing friends and loved ones once more. To see the small smiles of that special person who was waiting, or to feel the arms of a loving embrace around your shoulders. To have the dream of seeing those faces one last time, to seek the return of others to you. To feel the comfort that lays dormant within oneself like a slumbering cat that brings such hope, joy and love; to have people to return to at all.

She never had a family.

To have friends who you could stay up late into the night talking with till your eyes grew heavy like lead and every effort was needed just to keep them open. To have people who you could trust to keep your secrets, to have people who you knew you could go to and talk to when it seemed like everything was just purely overwhelming. To have individuals who did not mind giving up and sacrificing their own time, energy and life into helping you. To have those friends who could make you laugh at the simplest of things, who knew you inside and out and could pick out your favourite colour as well as your favourite food; the small things that could only be gleaned from being around someone for a long time.

She didn't have that. Not anymore.

All she had now was her blade, the reflective black steel longsword that seemed so out of place in a nation like [ _Seido_ ] where most blades were katanas. It was her weapon in this world, a tool that when one became skilled with could take them to unknown heights, limited by a person's own reaction time, speed, strength and skill with the blade. Yuuki looked at the medium weighted blade that rested across her lap. She ran a single finger down the spine of the blade, feeling the smooth stone that had been sharpened and strengthened to the point it could block other sword strikes. The weight was comfortable against her thighs, pushing down against them with their weight, leaving indents on her thighs underneath her clothing. But even as that flashed through her mind, a counter argument struck out with the viciousness of a viper.

She was not alone, and the voices that then called out to her from the distance reminded her of that. Her eyes flickered up, staring at the few distant figures that stood waving from the wall that separated the [ _General's Sanctuary_ ] and the [ _Cross Road_ ], the centre room where all sections conjoined into. Seeing them made her smile slightly. It had been a few weeks after she had heard the rumours of Kirito soloing a field boss by himself and she had stumbled upon this odd group of players. They were a group of people who seemed too joyful to be true, they seemed way too carefree and relaxed despite the game being a death match waiting upon their timers. They simply did not seem to care whether they lived or died, of course they still played safe and watched each other's back, but their play style could be classified as one thing; a dead man walking.

After all, if you know you're going to die death itself isn't that scary of a deal is it?

"Hey Yuuki." Jun said, raising his hand in the air with palm facing her as she did the same, the resounding high-five was complemented with the happy grins on all of their faces; the feeling of a light after sting was completely ignored in favour for the smiles that went around like candy at a festival. They had really come to enjoy each other's company throughout the months of playing together, of first becoming a team and then turning to face this world, intent to enjoy every passing moment of it. His fiery orange red eyes glimmered with mirth, laughter and joy that sparkled and danced like a naked candle flame. Orange copper hair dangling around his face with a sleek look that only served to heighten his already sharp features, a single band tying it into a braid at the back of his head, as they framed his young look; if Yuuki had to guess she would say he was around fourteen or fifteen. Adorned across his body was a copper-red full plated armour that hugged his body perfectly. The hilt of a broadsword easily as tall as him could be seen poking out from his right shoulder, "You know I just thinking about how we all first met." he sighed with a wistful tone in his voice, nostalgia flowing through every line in his body.

"Hey." she said with a simple smile back as she walked past him greeting everyone with a single word as she walked lightly, boots not even making a sound against the smooth stone wall that she was now standing upon with the rest of her [ _Party_ ], "You mean the day I saved you from being crushed by that [ _Stone Golem_ ]?" she asked with a single cocked eyebrow as he sputtered.

"Hey! I had that completely under control!" he replied indignantly, turning his nose up at her mockingly as he crossed his arms with a playful ' _hmph_ ' sounding its way into the air.

"Right …" Yuuki trailed off with a shake of her head, a teasing smile dancing on her lips as she glanced at him, "If that helps you sleep at night Jun."

"Oi!" the orange copper haired boy cried out as he turned back to glare at her, playfully of course.

She glanced to the top right of her HUD in an effort to ignore the childish Jun, seeing the name [ _Sleeping Knights_ ]. Just reading that sent a warm shiver shooting through her body, first growing like a blossoming flower in the middle of her chest, before the roots dug in and shot out like lightning throughout her. It brought her pride, one that she wore like a badge of honour and glory; it was an identity for her that she refused to give up, ever! It was something that was larger than herself, a stamp upon her that indicated that she was more than just a rampaging swordswoman but that, she too now, after a long long time, had a group of friends, of close friends, whom she could honestly call family. They were the first thing that brought warmth back into her life.

If Kirito was the one who broke through her icy depressing walls and shields that surrounded her like a frozen fortress, then these were the people who came in after that bringing the beauty of summer and spring into her heart and helping her live once more. Re-renovating the place inside of her, giving it an individual identity of its own beyond pain, tiredness and loneliness.

"Someone looks awfully cheerful today despite the gloomy weather." Tecchi teased her with a grin as he stood tall and proud, big and burly, as he looked across the conjoining walls. His calm and upbeat voice snapping her away from her thoughts, dragging her out like light chasing away darkness. His tower shield was slung around his back whilst his mace hung from his waist with a tight cord to ensure it didn't bang around causing more damage than it was worth; the curved disk around the hilt a perfect guard for keeping his hands safe. He was a huge person, built like a hairless bear. He had beaming golden eyes that complimented his wavy sand coloured hair in their almond shape holders. Thick plate armour covered his body, their green and yellow mixture not the most pleasant view to the eye, the mixture of brown along his coat making it a little bit more bearable.

"I find it perfectly alright. Don't you Talken?" Yuuki suddenly questioned, following up her rebuttal with an invitation to the shy boy to join in the conversation. A grin split her lips, a by-product of how happy she felt whenever she was around these people. She, to an extent, could not wait to finish training as a [ _Legacy_ ] and coming back to lead her [ _Party_ ] as a special group in the Army of Seido.

"Erm … yeah. It's, er, really nice." he trailed off, murmuring towards the end as he glanced down blushing. Yuuki suppressed a laugh and changed it into a smile aimed at him that made the poor boy glance down bashfully whilst squirming a little. He was a skinny looking youth with small eyes that sparkled like a stone shining underneath the sun, tidy brass coloured hair that sat mopily on top of his head like a raven's nest. Round, iron-rimmed glasses gave him the impression of a student; that is if a student could wield a terrifyingly long yari held next to him loosely. Copper-yellow light Armour was wrapped around him like a perfect vice, layering over layer that interlinked like the scales of a giant beast, larger than normal slabs of armour hung around their forearms like miniature shields.

She smirked as Merida inched closer to him, both blushing as her green clothed fingers lightly touched his own unclothed hands in an attempt to comfort and console him; but ultimately making him even more flustered and dragging her into it as well.

Both refused to look at each other whilst the reddening presence of the blush only deepened and darkened; almost instantly they jerked away like as if they had been shocked by electricity as most were in reality when they went grocery shopping.

That shy girl had long green hair that had been tied up into a ponytail that left her face free from any hair, as well as leaving her own neck exposed. She was currently clothed in a bright green like ninja outfit that seemed to made almost entirely out of cloth with the odd metal enhancements somewhere along the way. It seemed as if the armour was one piece of cloth wrapped around her over and over again, soft tipped boots adorned her legs whilst a single katana was sheathed on her back whilst a wakizashi could be seen across the back of her hip horizontally, both angled in a way that if needed be both could be drawn in a single motion. Her soft green tinged lips complimented her peach skin perfectly, framed by her smaller nose and heart shaped face.

Seeing Yuuki staring at her she blushed even more, twisting her hands behind her back as she tried to make herself even smaller.

The entire group found this hilarious, of how they were both obviously attracted to each other, and they knew that the other liked them, but were yet too shy to ask or try anything bold; resulting in both slowly, but surely, edging their line towards something more intimate than just friendship. And in this world where a simple mob, a construct of algorithms and coding, could result in your death, and also considering their unique situations; they deserved all the happiness they could get. But that didn't mean they couldn't find it absolutely hilarious.

"Sheesh. You guys." Nori sighed, rubbing the back of her head with her right hand, leaning back slightly as she gave them a grin. There wasn't any need for additional words, the meaning behind her words were obvious as plain daylight, which was very limited at the moment, for everyone. This girl, who could easily pass as a man, a very petite and feminine man, on first glance, was tall, easily scrapping the 190 centimetre mark. She had a darker tinge to her skin, contrasting the coppery bronze of the boy beside her, black cut hair was swept to one side; their short spikes carefully curving around her head. Thick eyebrows sat slightly down angled above her black marble eyes, full lips pressed thinly against one another that voiced her displeasure after a mere one word. She was wearing a high collared jacket made from some strange black material, non-metallic, that undoubtedly acted as armour. A black choker around her neck circled it like the long body of a cool snake, her eyes reflecting a potentially cold nature. In her hands she held a quarterstaff; its thick wooden body was encircled on either end with twin caps of black sheets of metal, increasing the blow strength and damage dealt

"We should probably go get ready." Yuuki said with a slight smile on her face as her wings appeared behind her back, slowly materializing without the urgency of any need to suddenly take to the air, "Our [ _Party Battle_ ] should be starting soon." was all she said before slightly crouching and taking off as a purple blur with pixels flying out behind her like a trail of breadcrumbs.

The rest of the [ _Sleeping Knights_ ] grinned before too launching off and preparing for the tournament.

 **LINE BREAK**

[ _Party Battles_ ] had originally been started by Kirito who realized that most players had trouble with humanoid opponents, especially actual NPC's that look like humans; also after the [ _Battle of Seuokana_ ] he noted how teamwork was easily one of the lacking traits of most players in [ _Seido_ ]. It is true that majority of their Kingdoms fighting style came from isolations and individualistic styles, majority of [ _Unique Racial Abilities_ ] of theirs relied heavily on one-on-one scenarios; and whilst true the most skilled could easily take on multiple opponents, that could not be said for the majority of lower ranked players.

The whole point of this tournament series was to train the lower tier players in how to work together with teamwork and how to face off others who looked just like them. Through the use of a tournament it gave incentive to participating teams to improve themselves as the prize was a special [ _Title_ ] that could boost stats by incredible, almost ridiculous, amounts. With every batch, only one [ _Party_ ] could gain this [ _Title_ ].

The goal, and mission, was specific; eliminate the entire team before they eliminate you. The terrain within the [ _Battle Training Ground_ ] was large, as it encompassed an entire section, but what made it truly impressive that in a move that defied the norm of this game, it had the capability to change their terrain to a few preset settings presented by Argo and Kirito. It seemed like magic, and wasn't something that normally would be allowed in a game where realism was number one priority, but with the absolute authority of the [ _Ruler_ ] Empress Argo, slight modifications to the coding within that one area allowed this to happen. It wasn't something that could be applied to large scale land, or not that would seriously be broken; but rather was beautiful for smaller land masses. The terrain would always be randomized, with neither party knowing what would be their fighting setting in order to ensure balance and equality between the two teams.

These battles happen every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to ensure that a large quantity of teams can be constantly training and playing; considering that each [ _Party_ ] had a maximum of 10 players, most other teams with less would be at a severe disadvantage. Previously even the [ _Sleeping Knights_ ] who had taken the [ _Party Battles_ ] in stride, had found themselves hard pressed, and barely winning, with 7 seven players instead of the full 10; especially against higher end teams like [ _Fuurinzakan_ ] who were strong players with high teamwork ratings themselves. Yet one thing that was constantly drilled into these teams was that they weren't just fighting for the prize, they were fighting to become stronger; to become able to beat this death game and return home.

Of course this drove many players with their blood boiling in excitement and drove them to do better than they already had, to be stronger as their morale and spirits were raised with such thoughts permuting their minds.

It was not about singular strength or power, but about teamwork, unity and communication. That was another lesson this entire fiasco was ingraining into the players. In this world, if you tried to solo anything without being adequately skilled enough; you were just asking for death. There were very few players who could easily solo many mobs and players by themselves; most of these players were already in the General section. The teams with the best teamwork, and the strongest overall scores throughout this year's tournament, were known as the Top Tier teams that would most likely later be used as front line soldiers or special operations units. The next were then Middle Tier and lastly Lower Tier. These were a way to give players another incentive to reach the top and perform well with one another, to be stronger and thus higher chances of surviving the game.

However even with that it was obvious to everyone that now, the entire balance of power for these teams had changed.

With the various [ _Legacies_ ] having been chosen from different [ _Parties_ ], each of those groups that now participated in the battles would have a player who was being trained by the Generals themselves.

Not only were these the best players from this batch of first students already, but furthermore is that they were now being trained by the Generals, thus accelerating their growth and strength even further ahead of everyone else in leaps and bounds.

In the case of Yuuki's [ _Party_ ], this would make them the [ _Sleeping Knights_ ] near unstoppable against any other team without a [ _Legacy_ ] in it. Despite having only trained with Kirito for three weeks, and then working by herself in this last week, there had already been improvements on her movements, power, accuracy and speed. There had been many study sessions between the [ _Legacies_ ] as the Generals went away on their [ _Hell Zone_ ] trip, the group had begun to grow closer and had even sparred against one another on multiple occasions.

Yuuki had to admit, that some of these people whom she had beaten before with relative ease, had become a lot harder in even getting a single strike in. She thought about this as she waited in the ready room before entering the [ _Battle Training Grounds_ ]; the room was bare with no windows, only torches burning on each wall. Benches were aligned parallel to each other with a big opening to the room covered only with a slight curtain.

Her teammates were going over their last minute preparations, making sure they had the right starting gear equipped, the right weapons, and that their durability was fixed. The small tweaks of experienced players. But for Yuuki those tweaks were ignored whilst her mind ran over the opponent they would be facing off first today, analysing data that she knew about them and running over the plan in her head once more.

[ _Moonlit Black Cats_ ].

They were a Middle Tier [ _Party_ ] with only five members, and none were really … outstanding.

Their leader was a player by the name of Keita. He was roughly about 180 centimetres tall with a lean build that spoke out of his strength. Short brown hair cropped around his head that matched his hazel Coloured eyes, and was generally dressed in light brown clothing that buffered against the metal chest guard, shoulder Armour and braces on both arms. The design was plain, most likely in the [ _Rare_ ] range at best. Black fingerless gloves that extended to his forearms could be seen peeking out from his metal arm guards, black dark boots adorned on either of his feet whilst his trousers were a paler shade of brown than his top, a creamy milky chocolate brown. Strangely enough, unlike the rest of his party, Keita wielded a staff and was decent, but not the best at it. He was known for having a sharp intellectual mind that was capable of changing plans and strategies halfway through a battle, it wasn't anything superb but it was a skill that had gotten them some wins underneath their belt.

Perhaps the most dangerous player in their group was their forward attacker, Tetsuo. He was a mace user with high strength stats, a single blow could do tremendous damage and was relatively hard to block using a weapon alone. Besides his devastating mace he also used a small kite shield that was held in his left hand, the dark purple and black shield fitted in well with his outfit. His Armour outfit had always consisted of a black polished chest plate that was connected to both shoulder guards via thin patches of grey material; underneath that he wore a purple tunic that ended just after his waist. Black trousers covering his legs and ending in leather tight boots; just like the belt around his waist. Ignoring his team, Tetsuo could be considered a Top Tier player with quick choices that benefit many around him. It was this teenager who had most likely single handedly pulled his team up without them even knowing.

The rest of their team was not as impressive as the first two. Ducker, the wannabe thief who only ever wielded a knife, and otherwise was killed first in every single [ _Party Battle_ ] so far. Sasamaru the spear wielder who was an average player; and Sachi, the only girl in a group of four boys, and the only one who decently wielded a sword in the group.

Overall this match against the [ _Moonlit Black Cats_ ] would most likely be a decimating one that would result in [ _Sleeping Knights_ ] having an overwhelming win. She almost felt bad for them; almost.

However it wasn't the first [ _Party_ ] that was the one she was worrying one; it was the second.

They had a total of two [ _Parties_ ] as opponents in today's battle, with the second being another [ _Party_ ] of a [ _Legacy_ ]. This battle royal was an interesting twist of events, one that indefinitely made the battle today more interesting, peculiar and fun.

The second [ _Party_ ] is known as the [ _Dragon's Keeper_ ] and had Silica as their [ _Legacy_ ] and ace. It was a dangerous group of 7 players, not including her, that had already been in the Top Tier before Silica was chosen as one of the first ten [ _Legacies_ ] to walk in the game. She had adapted from wielding daggers to using a short curved sickle like blade; it worked well and was absolutely lethal in her hands, the slightly crescent blade carving beautifully through the air during the sparring sessions that the [ _Legacies_ ] had. So far Silica was the only person who could keep up with Yuuki and Taiko in terms of speed. So that last match would be an interesting one. She would have to use a lot of the new manoeuvres that she had been practicing by herself, although she didn't know if they were good considering that Kirito wasn't around to check and-

"Hey Yuuki." a voice suddenly broke her out of her stupor and thoughts, jarring her train of mind searching with that interuption. She craned her neck to look up to see the looming form of Nori, "The match is about to start." the large girl said with a small smile as she outstretched an arm towards Yuuki who grabbed it without delay. Holding firmly on to her forearm as she pulled herself up with the help of Nori, her strength easily assisting. The dark clothed girl gave her a nod before turning and walking towards the entrance where Yuuki noticed that most of her group had gathered. With a small cocky smile of her own she walked over, unsheathing her blade in a single motion with an arc of purple following it.

 _Let's fight._

 **LINE BREAK**

The first thing that Yuuki realized as she walked out from the waiting room was that they were in for an interesting game. The terrain which had been chosen to be set up was, well in one way to put it, rocky.

It was completely devoid of any tree's or otherwise greenery; the only thing stretching out for ages was grey dull rock that reflected the dull grey sky that seemed to have just conjoined into a single mass that spread out beyond the horizon, like as if a painter had just painted over the entire sky with one dull Colour, in one brushstroke.

There were, of course, slopes and slants with variety of angles to create a varied height terrain, rock faces that jutted out from the ground were a welcome sight as they poked out like imitators of trees. But other than that it was a very bland and flat land. They were lucky that there were no archers in the opposing team, even for a Middle Tier team, a single archer would put up a huge challenge against them in a place like this; then again it wasn't like archers were party of the current batch anyway; always being trained separately.

"Jun. Tecchi. Go." three words from Siune was all it took for the team to fall into their typical formation. Her normal calm and gentle voice had completely disappeared, instead being replaced by a steely, confident and unshaken aura that was without remorse.

The last member of the [ _Sleeping Knights_ ] and their [ _Party Leader_ ]. She was a girl who had long light blue hair that reached down to her waist, it was so light that one could almost swear it was white. Calm blue eyes shined radiantly beneath her long drooping eyelashes like the sparkling surface of an ocean of ice and snow with the high noon sun beating down upon it, reflecting with the brilliance that made a stunning view, one that seemed to pierce to the deepest part of a person; not with sharpness but with warmth that just melted past all barriers. A long nose and lustrous lips completed her face with the soft defining edge of her cheekbones this was a girl who simply looked absolutely stunning. Beauty seemed to roll off her in waves, her surprisingly slender body had the right curves in the right places, creating a slight hourglass figure that could easily drag a male's attention and push down into the gutter quicker than they could shift their gazes. Wrapped loosely, and yet somehow still defining her features, around her was a white and navy blue robe, thin material circled her neck, the bright sky blue Colour grabbing attention towards her thin, and feminine, neck. Her robe ended about half a palm's length from her shoulders, leaving the skin bear to the world to see, simple designs traced the edges whilst the robe itself composed from various layers of clothing. A slit travelled from the edge of her robe to her mid upper thigh on either side, giving her mobility as she held what looked like a staff in her hands. The dark blue and grey staff was not flashy, but for some reason seemed lethal in her hands; especially as she commanded them into formation.

The [ _Sleeping Knights_ ] had a typical formation when dealing with this sort of situations. Tanks in the front and damage dealers in the back, supporting players fanning out in the last line behind the attacking damage dealers. Supporting players were an interesting concept that had been conceived through the Generals. It was the specific role of an individual who would work alongside, in tandem, with the ace of a [ _Party_ ] or any attacker. They would distract their opponents, break the flow and rhythm of battle for that individual, attack from one side whilst the attacker went from the other. They were like shadows to a light, players who did not aim for glory for themselves but the survival and efficiency of their team.

The two tank like players charged forth, one with his great broadsword hanging out behind him whilst the other held a large shield that covered his entire body. They were like the bulbar in a big four-wheel-drive that simply would ram and crush anyone who got in their way.

Yuuki kept a steady pace as she ran behind the two front liners. She could feel each impact of the earth against her body, the shockwaves of her foot meeting the ground spiralling up her body like sparks in her nerves. Her body fluid with each step as she kept up with the pace, sword still sheathed upon her waist as it bounced alongside her with each step she took. In her view the purple haired girl scanned the horizon, rock formations that slowly became larger and larger as they approached it; each about twice the size of their bodies. Their light shadows, from the lack of light, nearly invisible against the already grey and dull stones, but yet as the group approached one, Yuuki could feel the sudden drop in temperature.

Regardless of how dim, darkness was still darkness; the coldness that was slowly seeping into her bones was a testament of this. She glanced over to her right even as she pushed herself up against the stone formation, her back against the uneven and jagged rocks. Her own crimson eyes met with a pair of onyx black that shined like glossed marble.

The crimsoned eyed player slowly made her way to the edge of the giant stone she was hiding from, peering around the corner slightly with only one eye as she attempted to stay hidden. The ground that spanned out in front of her was large and down slope with it then going into a near vertical steep slope afterward.

Many different rocks of varying sizes littered the ground in front of them like strewed toys from a baby's hand. She focused intently, right eye flickering from site to site as she attempted to catch any sign of their opponents who were no doubt hiding in the shadow of rocks themselves.

Then she caught it.

A sudden flicker to a rock formation diagonally right from where they were. It had been nothing more but a sudden flash of purple clothing, nearly black and invisible against the darkness and dullness of the day that blended it into the natural world. To her left, at the very lowest point of the dip down she saw a flash of red, twin pony tails bouncing in the air behind the figure as a group suddenly dashed to another cover, coming closer to their group.

"[ _Moonlit Black Cats_ ] to the right and [ _Dragon's Keeper_ ] to the left." Yuuki whispered to Nori who stood on the edge of the other rock, a single clear pathway separated the two pieces of stone like as if someone had taken a sword and just cleaved straight down the middle. Nori glanced over to the purple hair girl, her eyes losing a bit of their focus as she thought and consolidated a plan to take out both [ _Parties_ ].

"Talken what do you think?" Nori turned a little, twisting her body so she could look to the person who stood beside her.

Copper-yellow Armour perfectly held around the thin and lean body of Talken, the team's strategist. The boy who was normally a shy twig that would probably explode from sudden female contact and socializing, had now a steely look in his eyes that was like an iron trap. When on the battlefield, or when composing a strategy, Talken seem to completely lose his shy and insecure self and would suddenly transform and turn into a brilliant general like commander who could command his troops at whim for the greatest victory. He also had very short patience and was known to be constantly annoyed at the team's free spirit; when in this mode they just referred to him as in _clutch mode_. Yuuki could swear that this was a case of multi-personality disorder.

"[ _Dragon's Keeper_ ] has three options." the boy said as he held his yari loosely beside him, letting it rest in the crook of his elbow and against his neck, the cold metal only adding to the chills that were racing up and down his body like mice racing one another, "To either pair up with [ _Moonlit Black Cats_ ] and take us down, to attack us first and get us out of the way; or to attack [ _Moonlit Black Cats_ ] first to secure their standing."

"So … what are we going to be doing exactly?" Yuuki asked, her red eyes wide opened in an innocent manner that made the current ' _in the zone_ ' Talken want to tear his hair out in exasperation.

"So we should make one of those choices! Don't you guys have any contact inside those parties?" he asked, internally hoping the answer would be a yes and that he wouldn't need to work even more with such idiotic strategic minds.

"Only pleasantries." Tecchi murmured from the back, his head hidden next to a rock face as he continued to peak around the rough edges.

A dull thump was suddenly heard as Talken knocked his head against the wall, his eyes narrowed and annoyed, a silent tick pulsing at his left temple. He seriously had a limit to how long he could handle such foolish nonsense when he was in clutch mode.

"Alright. Fine. Then predicting their movements is out the window." the strategist sighed, placing one gloved palm against his forehead as he let out another frustrated and exasperated sigh, "Do you want to team up with the [ _Moonlit Black Cats_ ] then?"

"No way! If we win I want the victory to be ours!" Jun whisper cried, his voice sounding much like a hissing snake as he tried to be silent and loud at the same time.

"Okay then …" Talken trailed off, unsure of what to do now that everyone had sort of become even more stupider than he remembered.

"Just hurry up and tell us what to do already Talken! I am getting bored here!" Jun whispered-yelled exasperated causing a round of chuckles to vibrate through the players like little tremors of the earth. Yuuki rolled her eyes, feeling the slight pressure at the top of her eyes as she did so, a smirk dancing on her lips as she watched the interplay between her [ _Party_ ] members.

"Merida and Yuuki, you guys go take out the [ _Moonlit Black Cats_ ]." the raven's nest of brass coloured hair shook slightly as Talken turned to look at the players of his group, of his team and family, for confirmation, "The rest of us will engage [ _Dragon's Keeper_ ] and stave off until Yuuki and Merida can arrive to assist us."

"A risky plan don't you think?" Nori asked with a challenging smile on her lips and a glimmer of excitement in her eyes whilst a single eyebrow was raised.

"But that's why it's fun." Jun sniped back with his trademark lopsided beaming grin as he, like the mature teenager he was, stuck his tongue out at the larger girl.

A scoff was his only reply as she rolled her black eyes at him.

"Please be careful." Yuuki said, her voice soft and quiet as she communicated with the rest of the team, "Silica is a fast fighter and is not to be underestimated. Please wait before engaging fully until Merida and I can come." she received nods in response and confirmation, her eyes quickly flickered back to the field; seeing nothing but the endless expanse of grey skies and an equally grey stony ground.

"Go!" Talken ordered.

The sudden voice was more than enough for Yuuki to quickly dash across to the rock which had previously housed Nori, Talken and Siune.

One moment she was staring out of the edge of her own rock, the next she was pressing herself up against another rock with only Merida next to her. Out of the peripherals of her eyes Yuuki could see the rest of the [ _Sleeping Knights_ ] moving away in the general direction which they thought [ _Dragon's Keeper_ ] was. The purple haired player crouched low as she continued to walk forward, hiding behind the rock face that was slowly becoming smaller and smaller. She peeked over the edge, ignoring the miniature dust fragments and small pebbles that lined the jagged edge of the erected stone.

In front of them, roughly three meters ahead, was another rock that stood tall enough and wide enough that it could fit both Merida and herself behind it. She glanced back to the green clothed girl and made a small gesture with her hands towards the rock which waited in front of them. Crimson eyes meeting jade emerald green as the girl nodded in confirmation to the order.

Yuuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the tension and anxiousness that sat coiled inside her stomach like a pile of rope to slowly disappear, the weightiness which had been felt in her arms and legs now gone; replaced with a feeling of lightness.

Yuuki bounced on the ball of her feet a little, ignoring the fact that she was squatting, and then in a single fluid motion Yuuki reached up and grabbed the sharp edge of the rock and vaulted herself over it. Pushing off with the ball of her feet and using her arm strength to heighten her air time, her legs stretching out parallel to the ground as she quickly vaulted over. Following this she rolled, tucking her head into her left shoulder whilst creating a triangle with her thumb, forefinger and middle finger, as she rolled forward with the momentum. As she rose up she pushed off with her legs, purplish wings blazing to life to increase her speed, as she dashed in a single movement to the next rock like a blur of purple lightning.

She pressed herself up against the rock, breathing in heavily through her nose and then letting the air out silently with her mouth, pale purplish lips forming an 'o' as she attempted to calm her speeding heart and lungs. A shuffle to the right, along with a slight turn of her body, allowed her to just peek over the vertical edge of the stone, watching the ground before her as it continued down into the valley point. Her eyes slowly scanned the terrain before her, seeing formation after formation of rocks, dull grey and lifeless that seemed to be having a field day copying the dulled grey sky; which to Yuuki was absolutely beautiful.

She glanced over her shoulder only to see Merida reaching the rock face, giving her a slight nod as well as a small smile as she pressed a clothed hand up against the stone face. Her view changed as she turned again, twisting slightly and feeling the strain in her neck muscles as she peeked over the edge; seeing a sudden flash of bright sky blue that streamed to a rock formation closer to them.

That was a Colour many wanted to see.

"They're about five meters away from us." Yuuki's smooth quiet voice that belied a tinge of readying excitement, a feeling of slight euphoria rushing through her body like electricity that surged in her body. She was barely holding back bouncing on the balls of her feet, just barely keeping herself from fidgeting; but could feel it gathering underneath her skin, just waiting to be unleashed, "Let's blitz them and then join back with the others. Okay?"

"Okay." Merida's voice was warm like the breeze of spring, soothing and peaceful. Yuuki could almost swear she could hear the chirping of birds in the air and the soft touches on her cheek of a more calm time. She could almost sense the joy that was in the air of that season, one that was ushered in by the mere thought of the beautiful sights around everyone, variances of Colours blossoming like wonderful glory.

"Let's do this." She said, her crimson eyes shining with excitement as she broke off from her ' _peaceful_ ' stupor; now was not the time for peace but rather action. She first started to bounce on the balls of her feet, feeling her body loosening with each sway and jump, "You go right I'll go left."

Immediately after saying that Yuuki moved.

She first gripped the smooth edge of this rock, even in its cut, before jumping off. Letting her wings loose instantly caused her speed to accelerate as she used the point of her hands grip on the wall like a pivot point, bringing her legs to bear in front of her so that the through the shifting of weight it would alter her course. For a moment there was nothing but a sense of weightlessness, the cool air rushing around her like a barrier that she was trying to break through. Nothing but the sound of the whistling wind in her ear; that is until she heard that single gasp.

She had judged correctly, for as she flew over little trench in the rock in front of her she saw two heads glancing back at her as she flew over them. If she remembered their names correctly, they were Sachi and Ducker. Forcing her body to fold over itself Yuuki used the sudden gaining of weight to disrupt her forward flow and send her to the ground, flipping in the shape of a ball before rolling at the point of meeting the stone foundation under her. She immediately spun around, both her hands scraping against the stone in an attempt to stop any further sliding from the sudden change of momentum.

She glanced over at the two shocked faces that peeked over the trench like moles and she considered waiting for them to snap out of it first before engaging in combat; but then that would be foolish as the whole point of this was to in fact catch them off guard.

With the slightest push off her back leg she lunged forward like a bullet, her wings still open and pressed against her back like an extension of a dress. She unsheathed her sword and in a single motion swung in a diagonal slice that should have beheaded Ducker at the very least. Instead at the very last second both members from the [ _Moonlit Black Cats_ ] flung themselves out of the way and pulled themselves out of the trench, both had spun to face the purple hair figure of Yuuki.

The [ _Legacy_ ] of Kirito allowed herself to continue on with her current trajectory and then quickly spun to allow her legs to slam into the slightly risen edge of the trench, following the natural call for compressing herself she allowed her body to become compacted against her thighs, before then shooting out again like a rocket. She spun as she did so, increasing the slicing power of her blade that flashed around her in a bright sky blue Colour, giving her the seeming form of a beyblade; if beyblades had glowing edges that is.

She passed the two opponents in a flash and skidded against the ground as she felt her feet touch it, tsking slightly as her mind recognized the need for further practice in high speed combat. Pivoting from the toes on her left foot she came to face the two Middle Tier [ _Party_ ] members; only now it was one.

The player known as Ducker had crumbled to the floor, having been sliced from the top left of his face down to the right of his hips; the cut was dangerously deep and would've killed any opponent had they not been in this specific zone. His dark yellow coat was pooled around him like the wings of a butterfly, his yellow top with a light metal chest plate, both which had been cut through, stood out like a sore thumb against the dark grey ground. Brown pants and boots with black fingerless gloves creating what could seem like the imagery of some dirt, a sight that was being sorely missed at this time. His grey beanie had been completely cut through and now laid out spread, more like a scarf than anything. His blue eyes were staring against her own crimson pools with shock at how fast she had sliced him down, and slight anger at once more being the first to die, the dagger which he had been holding a good distance away from his open right hand.

Yuuki ripped her eyes away from the fallen enemy, only to see Sachi lunging forward with her sword. It was a simple piece of metal with a double edge, its hilt was a piece of wood large enough to accommodate the weapon and the grip was nothing more than a bunch of leather wrapped over a stick over and over again. But the sudden flash of light grass green flashed past Yuuki's face as Sachi attempted to end the fight in a single blow.

Of course it failed.

Yuuki's quick natural reflexes were what had saved her, for if she had not acted then there was no doubt that the blade would've gone right through her head and ended her there. But from her twisted position the purple haired girl noticed something. The lunge had been performed well; however it had left her opponent open.

The petite girl with shoulder-length black hair, that contrasted the light blue tunic with a chest guard, knee-length short skirt and greyish boots, was completely open for a counter attack. The thought of jumping back to reinitialize the fight did cross the mind of the [ _Legacy_ ], but immediately one of the first lessons that Kirito had drilled into her came up as well.

 _If you see an opening, take it. Don't give second chances, something could always happen that could tip the favour in your opponent's hand. A slight slip against slippery ground, your weapon being on low durability or being momentarily off balance. Never give a second chance, because it might be the only chance you'll get._

She let out a little sight before immediately counter-attacking. Her jet black steel blade shone forth with crimson light as she initiated a Two-Hit Sword Skill. Her right arm swung upwards, beckoning for the longsword to follow as it's razor sharp tip sliced into the skin of Sachi's right hip, digging in as it cut through the flesh; before flashing diagonally across her body like lightning.

The slash was at least two inches deep, travelling up the black haired girl's flat stomach and then past the valley of her chest before ending with the slightest flick at the tip of her left shoulder. The world spun for Yuuki as she herself spun back, her blade still with the crimson light that screamed death as it flashed around her like a light show, before the blade came down again and cut right through both of her legs at the mid thigh, decapitating them in a single move. Yuuki ignored the sudden scream that erupted forth from the weaker girl's mouth, allowing the flowing action of a pale blue light to coat her blade as she stabbed downwards, her sword easily cutting through flesh, muscle and bone; rupturing organs and ending the fight in a quick and violent action.

There was a slight stillness in the air, silence hanging like a thick blanket as if the world knew of what just had transpired; the sudden demise of two players by the hand of a single opponent. It was a sudden shift, nothing too much, but a sudden interruption in the silence that caught Yuuki's attention. The sound of someone's clothing shuffling in the wind in sudden movement that subsequently caused Yuuki to suddenly lunge forward, spinning around when her speed had disappeared; only to see two players facing her again.

The light brown overall clothing a giveaway for Keita whilst the boy mostly dressed in light green clothing that contrasted the well polished light metal Armour plates on his chest and left shoulder . Brown leather gauntlets covering his arms whilst dark boots adorned his feet and a dark blue cap circled his head. In his hands a spear pointing straight at her whilst the former player was slowly standing up from the position he had been in with his staff.

"Sachi … Ducker …" Keita whispered, though in such thick silence it was audible for anyone in this fight, "I'm sorry. We were too slow."

"Keita. Repent later, right now we need to knock this one out." the boy clothed in green said, snapping his leader out of his grief that was not called for.

"You're right Sasamaru, let's take this one out." Keita grinned, his hazel eyes glaring intensely at Yuuki, as if he could kill her by sheer force of will alone. He suddenly jumped forward, the staff in his hands spinning like the blades of a helicopter as he swung to bring it down, the excessive force generated from that many swings, accompanied with his jump and full body swing would be more than enough to knock a sword out of the way.

Yuuki grinned at the prospect of such a challenge even as she jumped back, dodging the stab of a spear strike as well as the heavy staff attack; both meeting thin air as she leapt backwards.

Her smile was hurting her cheeks, she could feel the muscle straining even as she found this situation to be invigorating. The fun of facing off two opponents who could prove an adequate challenge was one that excited her and made adrenaline surge through her body like raging pulses of energy. Pushing off her left back foot Yuuki lunged forward, her black blade coming up from the bottom right, orange light trailing its movements like jet streams.

Keita brought his staff up in a typical defensive position, her blade bounced off the hardened wood. Undeterred, lest her momentum be stopped and leaving her frozen in position as that would've counted as a _Sword Skill_ interruption and thus have a paralysis penalty time cost, Yuuki spun and brought her blade up once more, her purple hair trailing out behind her like the wake of a wraith. Her long sword knocked the spearhead away from her body, sending the tip sky high, before she reversed her own swords trajectory with nothing more than a flick of her wrist; a horizontal forehand slash that seemed to have bounced off an invisible wall from her last attack.

Sasamaru, who was not expecting this, received the sword strike to his neck, slicing it nearly in half, instantly knocking him out of the fight; but as her blade hit the body of the spear, she allowed the bounce to change her swords trajectory and slashed downwards, cutting through his torso like a hot knife through butter.

The tip of her blade bounced off his lower Armour set, setting it free, and in a movement that displayed her incredible skill Yuuki accelerated the blades natural descent as it crashed into the rising bottom butt of the staff in Keita's hands. However the [ _Party Leader_ ] of [ _Moonlit Black Cats_ ] was undeterred, immediately allowing that action to flow into an overhead smash, that would've crushed her had her own blade not bounced off the previous clash and gone upwards to intercept the downward stroke. Both attacks ringing with the resounding _clank_ of wood against sharpened steel. Keita jumped back, attempting to get some breathing room and thus room to think; but Yuuki would not let up that easily.

In a single leap she caught up to him, her blade flashing with strong, but slower, attacks. Each swing could be felt in the muscles of her shoulder, her right back, her right arm, already she could feel the strain appearing in her right chest. Ignoring it she continued her offence, her blade trailing with the purple light of a _Sword Art_ that crashed again and again into Keita's spinning staff defence; the air around her glowing as her attacks swung so fast that it seemed to create an orb of light around her, it wasn't perfect but the fact that she could attack this quickly was incredible. Then he stumbled, a slight opening to his left side, and she took immediate action against it, stomping down with her left foot and stabbing with her right hand.

The long sword cut through his defence, slicing open a wound that cut reasonably deep, but then in a counter-attack that was ingenious. Keita used the staff to strike her inner wrist with a splash of orange that circled like the sun, her hand naturally spasmed and opened, letting the blade fall away, clanging as it fell to the ground with a sharp ring. Yuuki leaned back even as the next strike flashed in front of her eyes, covering her field of vision with a single passing orange blur. However instead of jumping away to re-assess the situation, the red eyed girl leapt forward, grabbing the staff and pushing back, immediately nullifying the longer ranged weapon.

Increasing the power behind her rising knee even as she glared at the brown cropped hair that bounced with every movement on his head, ignoring how close his hands were to hers, she leapt off the ground from her left leg; the movement burning its sensation into the muscles of her calf like hot scalding water. Yuuki could feel the hardened lean stomach of Keita bending around her knee even as the two pieces of flesh collided like trucks, the force was enough to drive the wind out of his body as well as flinging him back.

The [ _Party Leader_ ] crumpled to the ground in a foetal position, gasping for air as he desperately tried to suck in oxygen into his winded lungs. With a single motion Yuuki picked up her blade, and slowly walked over to Keita who was now half up from the ground, kneeling on one knee as he tried to stand. The older teenager looked up with a sigh as he saw the looming figure of Yuuki with her blade in hand.

"Good … Game …" he coughed out, the action causing his body to curl upon itself slightly. His hazel eyes meeting her own, knowing that his end had come; he had lost this battle.

"Good game." Yuuki replied with a small smile before her blade flashed down in an arc with the apex slicing through Keita's exposed throat; turning away and walking before the body even hit the floor. The sharpened black steel cutting through flesh like a hot knife through butter, the resounding thump echoing behind her even as she walked towards where the sounds of metal clashing against metal could be heard.

A sudden rustle beside her caused her eyes to glance over to her right, taking in the sight and form of Merida and acknowledging her with a nod, the green wannabe ninja doing likewise as they began to jog towards the sound of clashing metal. Turning around on the balls of their feet they left the previous battlefield behind them for nothing, instead focusing on what was coming up ahead. They completely disregarded stealth, opting instead to travel at a reasonable, yet fast, pace as they vaulted over stones, dodged around others or simply jumping up with their flight periodically; never staying in the air for more than a few seconds as to ensure maximum surprise when they ambushed [ _Dragon's Keeper_ ]. A pair of skilled parkourists who were not hesitant, but confident, in their skills and in themselves to cross this terrain without fault.

Yuuki glanced around, the sound of battle getting ever louder with each passing second. She spun, pivoting off the ball of her right foot, around the edge of another rock; reacting to it with such speed and grace she might as well have known it was there and choreographed a dance.

Increasing her speed Yuuki launched herself with wider steps before planting her right foot on a vertical stone face and then running up it; three steps was all she took, her body pressed closer to her body in order to streamline the air around her, before her left hand snapped out and latched onto the tip of the stone. Merida was also performing the same feats with even greater grace, that girl was certainly fitting into the role of ' _ninja_ ' very well. She was nothing but a green blur, jumping from one place to another and had been ahead of Yuuki for a few minutes, never stopping but being in a continuous flow of motion. Yuuki still had to stop every now and then to asses the next place before moving; and here people thought she was fluid, Merida might as well have been a cat! Until this point, where Merida had actually _waited_ for Yuuki, they had just been getting further and further apart.

But as Yuuki jumped over the last rock she immediately leapt back with her wings blazing open and keeping her afloat in the air, dodging a flying body that was rocketed past her in a blur; she could feel the air passing by her from how hard that body was flying.

Then following it was another figure, clothed in red, white and gold, their blade slamming into the opponent's staff over and over again, the resounding _clangs_ could be heard as metal met wood over and over again in attacks, blocks and parries. Her eyes snapped back to the battlefield and narrowed as she took stock of the situation.

The main fighting had taken part in a slightly open space with stone formations acting like walls that encircled the players; only three exit points, or entrance points depending on your point of view, could be seen.

Lying against one of the stone walls was Jun's limp body, the visible skin of his arms, neck and face were littered with cuts and slashes like as if he had been ripped apart by various thorns, a deep one going from one side of his neck to the other; an instant kill attack. His hands were opened on either side of his body, his broadsword far from his hand as it laid discarded, unneeded. However not too far from him were also two bodies of members from [ _Dragon's Keeper_ ], both face down on the ground and sprawled in the same starfish like position.

Siune was currently engaged in battle with another player who was clothed in a cloak of red, the edges embroidered with gold whilst the centre was woven marble white. His Armour screamed the same as red clothing with golden rims could be seen poking out from white shining Armour. A katana held in his two handed grip as it clashed against the metal tipped staff of Siune. The clashes creating sparks that danced in the air before fizzing out like a miniature fireworks for the private display only for them.

The rest of the [ _Sleeping Knights_ ] were engaged in heavy battle with some facing more than one opponent, their weapons glowing with the gleaming lights of _Sword Arts_ as they splashed against one another like paint Colours being splattered against the dull background by an artist. As Yuuki watched Nori was overwhelmed by facing two opponents, a sword going straight through her stomach with the sickening squelching sound of metal slicing into flesh, whilst another blade was driven through the middle of her chest with the force of a jackhammer, knocking her back against the wall behind her. The thick quarterstaff in her hands dropping with sharp _clanks_ as it bounced away, slowly coming to stop in a roll as she slumped down defeated.

Gritting her teeth the [ _Legacy_ ] jumped forward, her dark blade singing a song of death even as it decapitated the first man as she flew by, nothing seen by a sudden flash of purple before the head of a player, with wide eyes and shock, slid off from the cut, bouncing away like the staff had earlier. An almost mockery of their former achievement in slaying one of the members of her team. The other player turned, his bright piercing blue eyes wide with surprise as two new players suddenly intervened upon the battle, only for his body to jerk forward, chest pushed forward, as two blades protruded from his chest like spikes as they crossed each other. They were withdrawn quickly before the blades were whipped around in flashes of grass green, decapitating this player as well. Yuuki turned around, ignoring the thump of the now headless body as it fell to the ground, no doubt Merida already bounding away to attack more unaware players.

Jumping forward, then letting her wings take over for the rest of the way, Yuuki rushed towards the figure of Tecchi, who was currently hiding in the darkened corner of two stone walls meeting one another as he huddled behind his large shield, covering his body and head whilst two figures relentlessly barraged it with attack after attack, hoping to break through it. The world around Yuuki vanished, turning into nothing but a blur as she tunnel visioned towards the two attackers on Tecchi; the funny, happy-go-lucky, relaxed and almost rebellious team mate of hers. But even as her blade swerved into a position where she would impale the closest figure to her in a single move as she flashed by, the player who was furthest from her, and who was shorter too, suddenly jumped up and brought a curved blade down.

Yuuki could hear the sickening squelch as the blade was driven through Tecchi's neck, his shield dropping to reveal a decapitated body with his wavy sandy hair slick with sweat as they clung to his face, golden eyes wide with shock even as that occurred; his head slowly rolling away as the two figures turned.

The closest player was too slow to dodge before the blade was impaled through their chest, flowing right through where their heart ought to be, the blade bypassing their tight chestplate in an incredible display of accuracy at such high speeds to be good enough to slip the blade past the metal and into flesh. Spinning, even as her speed started to decrease, her blade whipped out in a flash, leaving behind the falling body of a [ _Dragon's Keeper_ ] member. Their outfit of red, gold and white disappearing from her peripheral views as she focused in one the figure in front of her. The details being recognized as the player she feared interference from the most; for this round anyway.

Silica.

The young girls twin pony tails bouncing in the wind like split dragon like tails, their red clothing crimson like the fire out from the legendary mythical beast maw, flickering like a naked flame as it flowed with their movements, rustling slightly at the sudden movement as she leapt backwards, her own silvery blade flicking up, being sent like a messenger at the mere flick of Silica's wrist, a single sharp motion that halted Yuuki's blade from bisecting the [ _Legacy_ ] of Shukaku in half. The golden outlines catching her eye and giving her the rough shape of Silica, their embroidered edges thicker than the centre like the hoards of gold and treasure that a dragon lay claims to. White marble like breastplate shining despite the dull day, a stark contrast of what the world was at the moment, a stark contrast to the emotions of many. Pitch black blade clashing against the silvery sheen of another, the juxtaposition of darkness against sublime light, the absence of light against the reflection of it; straight double edged longsword against the curved crescented metal of a sickle blade.

Twisting herself Yuuki delivered a devastating backhand that flashed in a horizontal strike, echoing with the Colours of violet light as it swerved towards her intended target. She could feel the lull of battle singing its song as the rhythm of war increased, an invisible beat of the drums of conflict sounding within their own ears, each base beat thrumming with vibrations throughout their body as the clash between two [ _Legacies_ ] of the two strongest players in [ _Seido_ ] came to life. Adrenaline pumping like oil through a machine in their veins, surging like electricity as it sparked against her restraints, calling for her to just submit herself into the euphoric flow of excitement, fun and life of the fight. A grin formed over her lips as she leaned back from her waist; Silica's blade flying mere centimeters above her nose. Her crimson eyes taking in the detail of each minute groove, the slight accented ridge at the fore front of the blade, sleeked design perfect as it whistled through the air like the call of a bird.

Yuuki glanced at the grim look displayed on Silica's face, it shadowed one like a dragon looking at its prey when it entered into its treasury domain. The underlying themes of viciousness, ruthlessness, power, unmatched rage, all flickering like untold shadows underneath the bright light that shined above. But contrasting hers Yuuki could feel the smile on her face, one that pulled at her cheeks; she grinned at her opponent, grinned at the younger girl before her, before suddenly lashing out with a stab. Strong orange hues whispering off the length of the blade as it flew like smoke, glancing with sparks against the slight shift of Silica's silver blade as she leaned away. Remaining undeterred, the purple haired warrior flicked her wrist towards the right in a semi-circle form like as if she were writing cursive instead of blade crossing, pressuring the ace, the most powerful player, of the [ _Dragon's Keeper_ _Party_ ].

Silica's eyes darkened with concentration, almost seemingly going from a nice lilac shade to a darker wine Coloured hue. Her other hand had been pressed against her own blade, Yuuki watched with caution as their battle for dominance caused sparks to blow off the blades length. Suddenly the younger player pushed her blade down along the sharpened edge of the longsword, the ringing of metal against metal piercing the air like sharp nails against a blackboard, a terrible sound to behold. Then with her own deft flick the silver blade knocked the black sharpened steel away, which was immediately followed up by an open palm punch to Yuuki's sternum. The blow causing the purple player to lurch back, the wind knocked out of her from such a powered punch, she could already feel the bruise that was forming no doubt, as well as the sound of crackling; a sign that another punch like that would break her chest.

But Silica would not be put off, she did not wait for Yuuki to recover but instead pressed her advantage as she rushed forward, her own brown little wings flaring to life as she jumped forward, blade held behind her head and body arched forward, shoulders pulled back, like as if she was going to swing down. In a desperate attempt to protect herself, Yuuki brought her blade up in front of her vertically, both noticing the slight shaking of the blade as its user tried to recover her strength. Ignoring this the dragon like young teen did something which Yuuki had not expected, she jumped at the last second again. A simple front flip that caused her to completely disappear from the crimsoned eyed female's view as she suddenly was above her. Then in a flash of movement she dove to the ground, slashing through Yuuki's back with a deep cut that caused the laboured breath girl to stumble forward, back arched from the sudden wound that was inflicted; stings of pain echoing from it like the voices of a far off conscience in a time long past.

Then in a single motion the milky hazelnut haired girl ended the fight, soft pony tails blowing in the motion of the final move as the air still softly blew through them. From her position behind the shocked Yuuki, Silica jumped off her right foot, dashing sideways towards the vulnerable [ _Legacy_ ]. Without remorse the [ _Beast Tamer_ ] had driven her curved blade through the back of the purple and black Armoured girl with enough force that it actually caused the taller female to stumble forward; the force from the blind spot strike more than enough to send her out of the fight. The sound of sickening squelch echoing like a loud gong having been struck on the mountains of tibet, a gasp ripping its way past the pressed tight lips of Yuuki as she tried to keep it in; shock winning over her limited training.

Yuuki's crimson eyes were wide staring into the grey dull sky that seemed like an artist had simply gotten bored of painting extravagant detail and thus brushed over an entire canvas with a single stroke. She could feel the sharp stinging pain of the dull nerve reactors as they sent out artificial traces of virtual pain into her mind, making her perceive it as real; and it certainly _felt_ real. Her back was arched from the strike, and glancing down she could see the silvery blade as it popped up right over the edge of her chestplate. The sword having gone through her lower spine and lower throat, the tip of the curved sickle like blade at the tip of her nose, where her eyes crossed as she attempted to look at it. A sudden cough racked through her body as her body reacted in shock to the sudden intrusion on itself.

Then Silica was pulling it out.

With each millimeter that was being pulled out, a cold frosty feeling replaced it. It felt like she had been impaled with an icicle instead, one that could break through her skin so easily; for everywhere the blade left there was a shivering freezing feeling as if ice was being dragged along the inside of her wounds. Yuuki could feel her legs weakening, the shaking in her knees a dead give away sign as she fell to her knees, staying in that position with her back arched backwards and head thrown back like as if she was silently screaming into the air; before gravity took over like a vice grip and dragged her down to the ground. Her off centre balance actually pulling her backwards over her legs, immediately she could feel the burning sensation of muscle being pulled too far in her thighs, the feeling of like as if it was tearing her apart screaming for her to shift her position; only that she couldn't.

A defeated sigh escaping her lips even as she stared up into the grey blankness that seemed to mockingly stare back, a scornful statement that no matter where she goes in life that her world would always be this grey, this bleak and this dull.

Yuuki closed her crimson eyes, hiding them from view of the rest of the world as she awaited the end of this [ _Party Battle_ ]; she had failed her [ _Party_ ]. A single mistake costing her the entire fight, she shouldn't have tried to press for that advantage, she should've just backed off and done another angled attack, maybe spinning before striking from below; she should never have done what she did. An anger surging and bubbling up from within the middle of her chest like a volcano about to blow, swirling and whirling like malevolent and malicious forces of destruction and uncontrollable rage. But they dissipated when she realized she could do nothing but wait.

And so she waited. The [ _Legacy_ ] of the Executor simply laying there defeated as the opposing ace wandered off, no doubt striving to find more enemies to defeat. A bitter taste lingered in her mouth, saturating what seemed like every inch, crook and inch of her mouth; a single world repeating in her mind.

 _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

She was such an idiot.

 **LINE BREAK**

The sun had long ago set as morning left the domain of the world over to its sister, night. The clouds had dissipated like cotton fluff balls before the wind as they were ushered away by invisible servants of mistress night. But in their wake they left the most beautiful and breathtaking scene Yuuki could ever see.

Millions upon millions of stars littered the sky, sparkling in their endless unintelligible formations that only a few could point out. They sparkled like diamonds, small dots in what could've been an endless sea of darkness, a single light in the entity of emptiness. But yet here they decorated the upper heavens like an artist personal sprinkle. Their combined light giving little to the earth below the high points of the air. Unlike its twin brother, the earth, the ground, was shrouded in darkness as night took over, everything turning into a dull fuzzy grey that was hard to concentrate in and upon; the shroud of night.

But for the house which Yuuki now lived in, that sort of lightning was preferable. It allowed her to stare up into the endless night sky, looking at the wonder and beauty of nature without interference from artificial lights of the lanterns and lamps situated around the pathways like stars of their own, surrounded by a sea of absolute darkness; held only at bay by their own light.

The purple haired girl was laying on the veranda, polished wooden floor meeting her back softly as she laid down there with both her hands intertwined behind her head; aimlessly staring up into the beauty of the sky. It seemed to extend forever, reaching further than the distant horizons and spreading more than sands of the sea, their twinkling beauty teasing those who looked at it, wondering about the various topics of life and their meaning as they sat under. One could call this scene almost hypnotic in a way.

Her eyes flickered from dot to dot, although it was getting harder the longer she stared into the sky as more and more stars were shown to her naked eye. She had been out here for about an hour now, simply relaxing underneath the silent watchful eyes of the stars, a place where she could rest and just let the heaviness of defeat flow away into the air, the cooling air that surrounded them like blankets. How badly she wished she could see shapes and formations like many others around her, wishing desperately how she could just get her mind off the crushing defeat they had suffered after she had fallen to Silica. Her mind's eye replaying that scene over and over again as she stumbled backwards, the dragon like little girl disappearing from in front of her, only for pain to follow twice in rapid succession afterwards like a hot knife being dragged across her skin, once down her back and another when it was driven through her viciously. The cold feeling afterwards like icy water being washed over her.

[ _Dragon's Keeper_ ] had came out of that battle with only Silica surviving, if only she hadn't made that one foolish mistake. She was such an _idiot_! How could she have made such a silly and crucial mistake? One that most of them knew by now to disengage from instead of trying to shove and force their way through; and yet knowing all this she had still done it. She let out a groan closing her eyes and tilting her head back, feeling the light dregs of sleepiness slowly swirl over her, its tendrils ever so gently reaching out to her, as if waiting for her to respond. Another groan escaped from her lips as she slowly opened her eyes to the sky again, wishing desperately that she could redo that fight. Wishing desperately that she could -

"Hey."

The sudden voice rocked her out of her stupor like a wrecking ball demolishing a building. A sudden voice from absolute silence, except of course her own heads rambling, another person who was there. Yuuki jumped up, her hand reaching down to the hip as her hand closed around the hilt of her longsword. Ready to unsheathe it and attack in a single motion if needed. Her legs spread slightly apart as she crouched a little lower, a ready position to move her entire body's weight into a single action if needed; it could buy her some time, perhaps enough to call for help and beat whoever this voice belonged to.

"You know. I didn't really expect this kind of ' _welcome back_ ' as an opening of arms." the gentle, and yet somehow both wise and childish, voice of Ko echoed in the silence and stillness of night. His calming voice interrupting her train of thought as it cycled through all the possible actions she could take.

Her crimson pools widening as she saw him standing at the edge of the verandah, his hands casually folded across his chest as he leaned against a wall. Brown robes falling around him, an outer dark brown robe parted down the middle to reveal a white tunic that ended around his knees, a leather brown belt encircling his waist with his wakizashi sheathed at his left hip; an easy location for his right hand to suddenly grab it in a flash quicker than lightning. The same light pale white trousers could be seen, they disappeared into the knee high leather boots that padded his footsteps perfectly. His right shoulder was casually pressed up against the wood, wool flushing out around the pressured point like gentle laps of the light breeze, a small smile playing at his lips; directed at her. It wasn't one of sarcasm, wasn't one of taunting or really anything, but one that simply spoke beyond words of a warm hidden smile, one being dampened for the mood at the moment. Like the light of the sun dampening by the cloudy shadows of clouds the whole of this day.

"Oh." Yuuki breathed out, her lips parting slightly as breath was exhaled from her lungs in a movement of relief, her hand dropping away from her blades hilt and her entire being rising from the slight crouch she had been in. Purple hair flowing down her back in a beautiful flow like as if it was a waterfall, rippling at the slightest touch of the wind, "General Ko. I didn't know you were back."

He frowned at her, continuing to lean against the wooden wall, the entire right side of his body snuggled up against the wood, unable to feel its cool and smooth texture through the few layer of clothing that surrounded his body. His green eyes displaying a slight annoyance, playful annoyance, at being called General. In the mind of this fourteen year old it was like akin to being called uncle, which he definitely wasn't!

"Don't call me that. You know I hate being called General in private." he chided, the playful glare on his face being entirely counterbalanced by the slight pout on his lips, a smirk taking over that was slightly accented to his right cheek as a short cough of laughter breaking through; beautiful, like wind chimes singing their song in the winter breeze, the soft hypnotic voice of wonder itself.

"You know that's one thing that has always baffled me." Yuuki said as she gently placed the sheathed blade against the wall, letting it lean at a slight angle as to ensure that it wouldn't simply fall down later with a loud clang; loud sounds was the last thing she needed, "If you all hate your titles so much, why keep them?"

The question was a legitimate one, and if Ko was honest with himself, one that he had asked himself many times. After all no matter how matured and wise he seemed, the young teen was still only fourteen and thus had an absolute hatred and natural distaste for all things formal and stifling; more than once commenting on how it was an oppression of social standards forced upon those that lived within a social hierarchy. But that was the very answer to their own predicament, was it not?

"Argo believed that by forming a council of figures to look up to the players could be satisfied and drawn from their fear, anger and uncontrollable tendencies." the youngest General spoke as he pushed himself off the wall, first with his hip. He pushed with such force that he went from leaning to upright, his hip bone aching a little from the hard contact against the solid wooden wall, the rest of his upper body following like a wave away from the dark brown wall as the movement travelled throughout the entire body.

Yuuki scoffed, a short bark of laughter that escaped her lips at how unbelievable the story and reason behind their hatred for the titles given to them was. Then again, if she truly admitted to herself, the after effects of the titles were massive in causing many players to suddenly handle the stress of the looming death game. A council of figures to look up to and pin their hopes upon, people to lead them and to be lead by them, a group of individuals who were seen as the public heroes, a representation of their strength.

"Okay." she said with a small smile, unhindered and unmasked as she looked at him. Blood red eyes meeting their match in a clash of stunning emerald green, "So what are you doing here? I thought you guys weren't coming back till tomorrow morning."

"A slight … change ... in plans." his smooth voice replied to her question, hands in his pockets as he took a few steps towards her, standing about an arm's length away. His large brown cloak fluttering around him like the cape of a superhero; and he was certainly seen as a superhero for the younger players, "So we came back early. Kirito went with the Empress to the main castle, but we came back here instead."

Ko turned away from her, his face tilting upwards as he looked up into the sky, green eyes blazing with sparkling wonder of the beauty of the heavens above him. A single step taking him closer to the wooden railing of the veranda as trillions upon trillions of stars hovering above them as they twinkled in their intricate designs, woven like jewels into tapestry that only the most skilled could understand. He let a small smile tug at his lips as he just stared upward in appreciation.

"They're beautiful." he whispered, seeing Yuuki's head whip around to look at him after a few minutes of silence as she had turned to look into the sky alongside with him, "Countless of stars upon stars, stretching out as far as the eye can see. The real thing is even more beautiful." his green eyes shifted to look at her from the corner of his eyes, noticing the way her own crimson orbs lowered with a flicker before she turned her head to once again look into the open tapestries of the virtual world before them.

"I guess." she replied softly, the entire conversation taking on a soft tone as if they were both afraid of breaking the delicate equilibrium of peace in this time and place, fearful that even the slightest nudge of loud sounds would throw it into chaos, "I've never seen stars like this before; so I wouldn't know."

Yuuki turned her head again to the side, her purple hair shifting with her like stunning silky purple curtains that shimmered like water and flowed like a stream, as she heard a sigh escape from Ko's lips. Her eyes widened in shock when he suddenly fell backwards; she half expected him to land with a loud crash, one that should shatter the quiet talk they had. But then just before he hit the floor his wings flared alive, their soft beating almost inaudible as he slowly hovered himself down the last half meter, landing with a soft dull thud as his wings disappeared, cloak fluttering down around him with the rustling sound of cloth as it settled down like a picnic sheet.

"The ground really is comfy." Ko said with a grin, his wide smile aimed directly at Yuuki as he interlinked his hands together behind his head, cupping the back of his skull from the hard wooden floor like she had been doing mere moments earlier; green eyes sparkling with mirth as he looked at her, and yet in their depths understanding, "Come on, lay down. I'll show you some star constellations."

She let out a small chuckle at that, her voice like music to his ears as she rolled her eyes at him; mind starting to forget the defeat she had faced mere hours ago. With a quiet and graceful descent she bent her knees, bending her body backwards with one arm outstretched to take the landing; her entire descending body controlled by her legs.

In quick motions she was laying down on the ground like he was, hands linked behind her head like she was originally doing, opting to keep her legs straight even as Ko did the opposite and bent one knee up and placed a leg over it.

She was still keeping that one arm length distance though. Her slight hesitation to come into close contact and relationship with others subconsciously asserting itself; and if she had been looking at his stunning green eyes she would've seen the sudden pain and sadness that shot through them like bolts of lightning, before disappearing just as fast.

She kept silent as he turned away, her crimson eyes taking in the fuller picture of the sky as she laid back, letting herself be lost in the thousand lights, a cluster of dazzling beauty that formed a sea; that is until the melodic voice of Ko spoke up softly as he pointed a hand into the sky, seemingly pointing at a random spot.

"Well that one there is _Ursa Major_ ; the big bear constellation." then he was pointing away once more, his finger moving a few minute degrees as he seemed to latch on to another constellation, "That one is _Hercules_ , the ancient demigod hero of Greece."

Unconsciously she shuffled closer to him, not realizing that she had begun to move over from cold wood that seeped through her thinner black cotton nightgown, warmth flooding back through her body subtly from just that slight shift as the woollen cloak absorbed her heat, trapping it within the material.

Her eyes glanced from point to point as he displayed to her the hidden patterns and workings of the beautiful sky above her, the yearn to previously know what the heavens were showing being answered. Her lips forming into a small smile as she happily, and contentedly, stared into the skies above; a smile that would not be leaving her until the next morning, a smile that would continue on even in her sleeps later. Her previous thoughts of defeat were entirely forgotten as she shuffled a mere palms breadth away from Ko's body, looking with a twisted neck as she tried to see just exactly what he was pointing at; and when she did a gasp caught in her throat as the particular constellation seem to light up. Each dot becoming brighter, each connection line shining with absolutely wonderful brilliance like as if they had just been drawn and highlighted together for the first time.

Yuuki glanced over at Ko when he was describing the constellation of _Perseus_ , going into depth and detail on the demigod son of Zeus from Ancient Greece who slew a great and mighty sea serpent. His green eyes lighting up with pure joy as he geeked on about history and mythical lore, shining with mirth and joy even as a chuckle caught its way past his throat halfway during his story. Her crimson eyes glancing at him from the corner of her eyes as his lip constantly pulled in the form of a relaxed and joyful smile; one that she herself did not realize was mirrored on her own.

Her eyes then flickered back to the sky as she listened to what he said, warmth slowly filling her heart like heat entering a cold room from a nice fireplace. His small smiles and gestures speaking to her in more volumes that she believed he could ever imagine. He hadn't broken down all her walls, not by a long shot, not even a quarter of them; but his display of talking to her, taking the time to spend time with her despite him just returning from a no doubt tiring journey spoke loudly to her.

And caused her to smile.

Unknowingly to Yuuki, Ko looked over quickly whilst she had glanced back, a warm sensation surging through his body as he saw her happy smile. Crimson pools glimmering with happiness in that moment; and right there and then Ko smiled as his eyes flicked back to the star filled skies and his, now tiring arm, pointed out another constellation.

The star formation of the _Phoenix_ which seemed to let out a silent victorious rebirth cry of new life as it looked down upon the world, at the form of two young teens with beautiful stunning smiles in the company and presence of one another.

Their laughter ringing like magical beauty through eternity.


	16. REBOOT AN

Hi everyone, sorry for having been absent for so long. This is largely part due to one thing, and that is that's i am a Missionary with a non-profit Christian Organization and haven't really had the time to write he next chapter. However, upon rereading this story I realized a few things:

1) I had intended for there to be no magic whatsoever ... and I basically gave Kirito magic -.-"

2) I've made too many OC's and can't develop them all

3) I gave a lot of over description (which you all pointed out to me; thank you btw!) of equipment and things, but not enough thought went into the actual background world itself.

As such I will be doing a complete Reboot and remake of the story.

Here are to answer few of the questions I know are going to come up.

1) When will it be out? - I have no idea, I will write when I can but working with Youth With A Mission, I do have other much more serious commitments and will not Ben putting all my effort into this story.

2) Will it still be a Kirito-Argo story - Yes, completely.

3) Which OC's will I be keeping? - General Arashi and Ko will be transferred over to the new rebooted version of Seven Kingdoms Online. The story also will have a Ko-Yuuki pairing too.

4) Why do I write with so much description? - Because I studied Literature during high school and did a first year uni course on Literature text from the Victorian Era and enjoy them very much. The writing style I utilize is a mix of modern and Victorian writing. Every description, every word, every color, is a symbol and has a meaning behind it (as in I take time to sit down and think about how to symbolically represent something through subtle mean stuff that most people will not get).

Whilst I do admit and agree that's I did go overboard with some description, a lot of the world description has one purpose. That is f you take time to read every word and vividly imagine it within your mind, you will be able to actually place yourself in the place of the character. Whether or not you choose to engage the story a the that level is, and should, be up to you. But this writing style WILL NOT BE CHANGING. I do not write to please an audience, i write because it is enjoyable. I enjoy getting reviews, but that's is not, and never will be, my primary focus or goal.

4) What will this new rebooted version be on? - Same premises as this current form, but no magical bull crap for anyone and a more fleshed out background for consistency.

5) Will it still be an OP Kirito story? - Yes, very much a yes.

Thank you all who have been reading this story, I'm sorry that I have to bring it down, but I realized that it wasn't going in a direction that I had intended for it. God bless and have a great day!


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